A Referral For Physical Therapy For Low Back Pain Reduces Odds of Opioid Use
There’s evidence that starting physical therapy early with back pain helps you recover faster. There was a recent study that found only about 50% of people were referred to physical therapy, when they sought care from their PCP for back pain.
Opioid prescriptions were the most commonly used intervention during the YEAR after their initial visit for low back pain. However, patients who received physical therapy early in their bout of low back pain were 35% less likely to receive an opioid prescription (regardless of whether they participated in PT after the initial consult).
Researchers summarized that “physical therapy provides reassurance to patients that their low back pain is best managed with physical therapy and is in line with advice to stay active.”
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29180553
Referral To Physical Therapy For LBP Reduces Odds of Later Opioid Use. Thackeray & Fritz, PT In Motion. March 2018.