When back pain won't quit: A large clinical trial points to the power of self-management
Almost everyone will deal with back pain at some point in their lives. Most recover quickly—but for about 20% of people, acute pain becomes a chronic condition that interferes with daily life and keeps them out of the workforce.
edited by Stephanie Baum , reviewed by Andrew Zinin
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:
Low back pain is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide, and more money is spent managing it in the United States than any other health condition. Despite that, the most effective way to prevent a short-term episode from becoming a long-term problem has not been clear—especially for people who are most at risk.
"Chronic low back pain prevention is a public health issue," said Michael Schneider, D.C., Ph.D., professor in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh and co-principal investigator of the Pitt arm of the study. "The 20% of patients who turn chronic account for 80% of the costs and the suffering. This paper shows that helping people self-manage their pain through a properly trained physical therapist or chiropractor is a great way to mitigate this public health problem."
Results from a randomized clinical trial, published in JAMA Internal Medicine , have found that a personalized self-management program—delivered by physical therapists and chiropractors—was more effective at preventing the conversion to high-impact chronic low back pain than standard medical care or hands-on spinal manipulation alone.