ArticleMusculoskeletal science & practice2021
Patients' use of physical therapy for lower back pain: A qualitative study.
Article in Musculoskeletal science & practice, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 8 citations in OpenAlex.
- Utilization of Rehabilitation Services Among People With Common Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases: A Systematic Review.Arthritis care & research · 2026Pooled it
- Effectiveness of Telerehabilitation for Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Pooled it
- Predictive factors for care intensification in a no co-pay physical therapy model for musculoskeletal pain.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Episode of Care Characteristics Following Implementation of a No Copay Physical Therapy Program for Musculoskeletal Conditions.Physical therapy · 2025Article
- Perceptions of Low Back Pain and the Role of Physiotherapy in Bangladesh: A Qualitative Study.Musculoskeletal care · 2025Article
- Patient Choice After Referral to Physical Therapy for Lower Back Pain and Knee Osteoarthritis.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translation · 2023Article
- Influence of Initial Health Care Provider on Subsequent Health Care Utilization for Patients With a New Onset of Low Back Pain: A Scoping Review.Physical therapy · 2022Article
- Factors contributing to non-compliance with active physiotherapy guidelines among chronic low back pain patients in India.Archives of physiotherapyArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveThe purpose of this study was to identify factors that influence a patient's decision to use physical therapy (PT) services for a low back pain (LBP) complaint.
methodsSemi-structured qualitative phone interviews were conducted with patients who were offered an early outpatient PT visit secondary to patients' primary appointment for LBP with a non-operative sports medicine specialist physician. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed to identify themes using an iterative process.
resultsForty participants were interviewed; 20 accepted early PT services, and 20 did not. Patients' decisions were influenced by perceived provider training, costs, doctor recommendations, wait times, symptoms, and a desire for a diagnosis. Patients preferred the care of non-operative sports medicine doctors over physical therapists for LBP due to their beliefs that favored doctors' diagnosis and management of LBP. Patients perceived exercise as an effective treatment for back pain. Physical therapists were viewed as an adjunct service, despite positive comments about PT and the belief that exercise is one of the most effective treatments for LBP.
conclusionBarriers including costs, patient preferences, and knowledge about physical therapists limited patients' use of PT. Value-based care strategies aimed at improving the management of LBP increasingly promote the early use of PT. For these strategies to be effective, it is critical that patient perceptions and the influence of barriers on PT use are further understood. This study highlights the need to promote confidence in physical therapists' expertise in the management and diagnosis of lower back pain.
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Registered trials
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