PHYSICAL THERAPY UTILIZATION BY PATIENTS WITH ACUTE LOW-BACK-PAIN

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.