Background and Purpose. The purposes of this study were (1) to describ
e the demographic and clinical characteristics of a group of patients
with acute low hack pain (LBP), (2) to describe those patients who wer
e being treated by physical therapists, and (3) to analyze their use o
f physical therapy services. Subjects. The study sample consisted of 1
,580 patients with acute LBP who were treated by 208 practitioners in
North Carolina. The initial providers were primary care physicians, ch
iropractors, orthopedic surgeons, and primary care providers at a heal
th maintenance organization. Methods. A telephone interview was conduc
ted after the initial office visit to assess demographics and medical
history, health care services utilization, and functional status. Foll
ow-up telephone interviews were also conducted 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 wee
ks later. Results. One hundred ninety-nine (12.6%) of the subjects rep
orted that they saw a physical therapist either by any provider referr
al or by direct access. Therapeutic exercise was the most commonly rep
orted treatment procedure. Post-high-school education, receipt of Work
ers' Compensation, prior physical therapy for LBP, LBP and pain below
the knee in one or both legs, and a higher baseline Poland-Morris Ques
tionnaire score were associated with being treated by physical therapi
sts. Conclusion and Discussion. In this study, physical therapists wer
e utilized in the treatment of patients with greater severity of LBP.
The findings demonstrate the importance of controlling-for baseline ch
aracteristics when comparing outcomes of LBP when treated by different
types of providers.