ArticleSpine2012
Management patterns in acute low back pain: the role of physical therapy.
Article in Spine, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 40 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
40 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 133 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Trial
- Does early intervention improve outcomes in physiotherapy management of lumbar radicular syndrome? A mixed-methods study protocol.BMJ open · 2017Trial
- Effects of low back pain and of stabilization or movement-system-impairment treatments on induced postural responses: A planned secondary analysis of a randomised controlled trial.Manual therapy · 2016Trial
- Associations between physical therapy and long-term outcomes for individuals with lumbar spinal stenosis in the SPORT study.The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society · 2014Trial
- Trial
- Trial
- Comparative effectiveness of transforaminal epidural steroid injection: subpedicular versus Kambin's triangle technique: a single-centre experience.Journal of spine surgery (Hong Kong) · 2025Article
- Clinician approaches to new spine pain cases in primary care: Balance of opioid prescribing and early linkage to exercise therapy and spinal manipulation.Journal of evaluation in clinical practice · 2024Article
- Article
- Racial and Ethnic Differences in Receipt of Nonpharmacologic Care for Chronic Low Back Pain Among Medicare Beneficiaries With OUD.JAMA network open · 2023Article
- Effects of chiropractic use on medical healthcare utilization and costs in adults with back pain in Ontario, Canada from 2003 to 2018: a population-based cohort study.BMC health services research · 2023Article
- Financial Impact of Embedded Injury-Prevention Experts in US Army Initial Entry Training.Journal of athletic training · 2023Article
- Initial treatment approaches and healthcare utilization among veterans with low back pain: a propensity score analysis.BMC health services research · 2023Article
- Article
- The Effects of Early Physiotherapy Treatment on Musculoskeletal Injury Outcomes in Military Personnel: A Narrative Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Review
- A call to action: direct access to physical therapy is highly successful in the US military. When will professional bodies, legislatures, and payors provide the same advantages to all US civilian physical therapists?The Journal of manual & manipulative therapy · 2022Review
- Initial presentation for acute low back pain: is early physical therapy associated with healthcare utilization and spending? A retrospective review of a National Database.BMC health services research · 2022Article
- Health-Related Quality of Life of Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department with a Musculoskeletal Disorder.ClinicoEconomics and outcomes research : CEOR · 2022Article
- Timing of physical therapy for individuals with patellofemoral pain and the influence on healthcare use, costs and recurrence rates: an observational study.BMC health services research · 2021Observational
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
STUDY
designRetrospective cohort study.
objectiveTo evaluate the relationship between early physical therapy (PT) for acute low back pain and subsequent use of lumbosacral injections, lumbar surgery, and frequent physician office visits for low back pain. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Wide practice variations exist in the treatment of acute low back pain. PT has been advocated as an effective treatment in this setting although disagreement exists regarding its purported benefits.
methodsA national 20% sample of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services physician outpatient billing claims was analyzed. Patients were selected who received treatment for low back pain between 2003 and 2004 (n = 439,195). To exclude chronic low back conditions, patients were excluded if they had a prior visit for back pain, lumbosacral injection, or lumbar surgery within the previous year. Main outcome measures were rates of lumbar surgery, lumbosacral injections, and frequent physician office visits for low back pain during the following year.
resultsBased on logistic regression analysis, the adjusted odds ratio for undergoing surgery in the group of enrollees that received PT in the acute phase (<4 weeks) compared to those receiving PT in the chronic phase (>3 months) was 0.38 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.360.41), adjusting for age, sex, diagnosis, treating physician specialty, and comorbidity. The adjusted odds ratio for receiving a lumbosacral injection in the group receiving PT in the acute phase was 0.46 (95% CI, 0.44-0.49), and the adjusted odds ratio for frequent physician office usage in the group receiving PT in the acute phase was 0.47 (95% CI, 0.44-0.50).
conclusionThere was a lower risk of subsequent medical service usage among patients who received PT early after an episode of acute low back pain relative to those who received PT at later times. Medical specialty variations exist regarding early use of PT, with potential underutilization among generalist specialties.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.