Treatment preferences of physical therapists in low back pain- a cross sectional survey

Low back pain is the common problem of almost all age group around the world. Many different modalities were used to relief the pain. One cannot be confined on any one to prove that it was the best technique to treat back pain. Objective: To explore the treatment techniques used by physical therapists in the management of low back pain. Methodology: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in major physiotherapy out-patient departments of Karachi covering major government, semi government and private sector hospitals. Data was collected from 100 practicing physiotherapists through convenience sampling technique and were asked to fill self-administered close ended questionnaire. Data entry and analysis was done using SPSS Version 16 and chi-square test applied. Result: The results of this study suggest that 81.4% physiotherapists follow Electrotherapy treatment guidelines, 57.7% use thermotherapy, 56.6% of the therapists use Maitland peripheral joint mobilization technique as manual therapy for LBP and 54.6% said they require 4 – 7 sessions for treatment of LBP patients. Conclusion: Our survey respondents indicated that they widely use interventions with a strong evidence base for effectiveness and that they also use a variety of other interventions with limited support or conflicting evidence.