Is Physical Therapy Beneficial for Low Back Pain?

Evidence supporting the efficacy of physical therapy (PT) for low back pain (LBP) is mixed. In this observational study, researchers used data from a national PT company to compare pretreatment and posttreatment pain and function in 4597 consecutive patients who underwent an average of 14 PT sessions for LBP.

Average improvement on the 100-point Oswestry Disability Index was 6 points; only 29% of patients exceeded a 10-point improvement (considered to be the minimal clinically important difference). Average improvement on a 10-point pain rating scale was 2.1 points for rest pain and 2.7 points for activity-related pain; about 60% of patients exceeded a prespecified minimal clinically important difference of 2 points.