Physiotherapy modalities used in the management of chronic low back pain
Date
2009-10-15T08:10:39Z
Authors
Naidoo, Vaneshveri
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Abstract
Low back pain (LBP) is one of the commonest and most costly medical problems
in both the low and high income countries accounting for 75-90% of
compensation costs. Compensation costs for LBP in South Africa in the year
2000 were approximately two hundred million rand and about 30 000 people
suffer from neck and back problems on a daily basis. Physiotherapy treatment
modalities are commonly used in the management of LBP but there is no
consensus on the choice of treatment modalities.
A cross-sectional survey was used to investigate the treatment modalities used
by physiotherapists in Kwazulu-Natal (KZN) for the management of chronic low
back pain (CLBP). The objectives of the study were to establish the commonly
used physiotherapy modalities in the management of CLBP, the reasons behind
the selection of those modalities and the extent to which the physiotherapists in
KZN used evidence based modalities when managing CLBP. Self-Administered
questionnaires were posted to all registered physiotherapists in KZN, that is, six
hundred and eighty-five (685) physiotherapists.
A 31% (213) response rate was achieved, of which 20.6% (141) met the
inclusion criteria and 10.5% (72) were excluded. The results established that
general exercises (30%); spinal mobilisation (28%); myofascial release (18%),
education (12%) and training of local stabilisers (12%) were the commonly used
treatment modalities in the management of CLBP. The key reasons for the
selection of the treatment modalities were the undergraduate education received;
own clinical experience and the attendance of postgraduate
courses/physiotherapy conferences. Treatment modalities were not selected on
the basis of the current available evidence hence evidence-based practice is not
employed by physiotherapists in KZN in the management of patients with CLBP.
Description
M.Sc. (Physiotherapy), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 2009
Keywords
physiotherapy, treatment modalities