By Lisa Rapaport
(Reuters Health) – Customized physical therapy may provide more relief for lower back pain than general advice on the best ways to remain active, an Australian study suggests.
Researchers offered 300 patients with lower back pain two advice sessions explaining the source of their discomfort and providing instruction on proper lifting techniques. Roughly half of them also got 10 treatment sessions of personalized physical therapy over 10 weeks.
The physical therapy group had significantly greater reductions in activity limitations at 10, 26 and 52 weeks than the advice group and they also had less back pain at 5, 10 and 26 weeks.