LAST month one study claimed physiotherapy for low back pain is no better than giving people advice on exercise. Now another team has hit back, claiming physio does help people recover faster, provided it is given promptly.
A team at Brunel University in London divided 100 people who had recently developed back pain into two groups. Half received six weeks of physiotherapy immediately, while the rest were given advice immediately but had to wait six weeks for treatment.
After three and six months there was no difference in pain or disability between the two groups 鈥� a finding in line with the earlier study (New 杏吧原创, 2 October, p 20). But at the end of the initial six weeks, patients receiving treatment did report greater improvements than those given advice only (Spine, vol 29, p 2350). They were also less likely to suffer from depression at all stages. 鈥淧rompt intervention is more effective than advice,鈥� concludes lead author Lorraine de Souza.
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Some patients may only need advice, says Hilda Walsh, a physiotherapist at the City and Hackney Primary Care Trust in London. 鈥淏ut this can only be determined by a thorough assessment by a physiotherapist.鈥� Without this, there is also a danger of missing more serious spinal disorders, she says.
