Study: PT Less Effective for Low Back Pain in Workers' Comp Patients

Physical therapy for patients with low back issues led to a decrease in pain and increase in function for some, according to new research, but the treatment was more likely to fail in smokers and workers’ compensation claimants. The retrospective study, which was published online last week in the journal Spine, included 4,597 patients who underwent physical therapy for the non-operative treatment of low back pain. The study's lead author was orthopedic surgeon Dr. Ananth Eleswarapu of the University of Chicago Medical Center. Using the Oswestry Disability Index ...