Low back pain is the most common reason patients seek out the care of their primary care physician and Physical Therapist. Physical Therapy has been shown to be an effective first line treatment for both managing the symptoms of low back pain, as well as, preventing their recurrence. Manual therapy techniques performed by Physical Therapists...
As healthcare costs continue to rise, all stakeholders (patients, providers, and payers) are looking for ways to reduce costs associated with common conditions. In our field, we commonly see patients given generic, one size fits all exercise programs for common conditions including low back pain. Our previous post highlights the limitations of this approach including...
Low back pain continues to affect many Americans leading to pain, loss of function, missed work days, and higher health care expenditures. Much of this cost is attributed to the often unnecessary utilization of advanced imaging and procedures such as injections and surgery. Previous research has shown early access to Physical Therapy without a prior...
Physical Therapy remains the first line treatment for lumbar disk injuries due to its’ non invasive nature and clinical effectiveness. The natural history of disk injuries is not well established but preliminary data covered in prior blog posts demonstrates regression of these injuries over time. A recent case study in the New England Journal of...
In our fast paced, instant gratification world we want solutions to our problems the same day as their arrival. This is no different in low back pain, a common, costly condition affecting over 90% of adults. Patient’s hurting from low back pain symptoms often turn to the internet, friends, or their primary care physician for...
The 3 inevitable events in our society include death, taxes, and low back pain. Many of us will experience a significant episode of low back pain in our lives but the vast majority of these symptoms are not associated with serious pathology such as fracture or cancer. In our previous posts on low back pain we...
Background Sacroiliac (SI) joint pain is an less common source of low back pain but has a higher incidence pregnant and post partum patients, as well as, after trauma. The incidence of SI pain in patients with low back pain is 13% (9-26%) (1). The majority of patients will report buttock pain (94%), lower lumbar...
Our imaging technologies have made tremendous improvements in their ability to detect abnormalities in our body. These positive findings may or may not be related to our current symptoms including stiffness, giving way, or pain. We have seen improvements in the sensitivity of these tests where we are able to detect individuals with the condition...
We have previously written on low back pain and the dramatic rise in surgeries with this patient population, despite evidence of superior outcomes over conservative treatment and Physical Therapy. Prior research has documented the dramatic rise in the number of lumbar MRI imaging for the low back and a corresponding increase in the number of...
Introduction Low back pain (LBP) is a common, disabling condition with both musculoskeletal and non musculoskeletal contributions. It has been reported that greater than 80% of individuals will experience LBP within their lifetime and 20-30% of individuals are affected with these symptoms at any point in time[1]. Katz et al. reported the cumulative cost to...