In a new study, researchers found physiotherapy is an important and effective way to treat chronic back pain.
However, many people cannot get sufficient care of physiotherapy to help reduce the symptoms.
The research was conducted by researchers from the University of Saskatchewan.
Previous studies have shown that back pain is a very common health problem. It is the leading cause of disability in the world.
For many people, back pain is a heavy health burden. The condition reduces their workability and interferes with daily life activities.
One option to treat back pain is using opioids. It can help reduce back pain, but patients have the risk of opioid abuse.
Another option to treat back pain is physiotherapy, which is a non-drug back pain treatment.
Physiotherapy uses mechanical force and movements, exercise, and other non-drug methods to increase body mobility and functions.
A physiotherapist can improve a patient’s quality of life via examination, diagnosis, prognosis, physical intervention, and patient education.
Physiotherapy has been found an effective way to treat back pain and can help curb the use of opioids.
In the current study, the team surveyed 25,545 Canadian adults with chronic back pain to see what treatment they used.
Each patient reported the use of family physician, chiropractor and physiotherapy services.
The researchers found many patients with chronic back pain are not able to use non-physician options like physiotherapy.
For instance, people with lower income and education levels and people living in rural and remote areas were less likely to seek care with physiotherapists in comparison to family physicians.
These people experience chronic back pain more commonly.
The researchers suggest that the best way to treat back pain is the combination of education, exercise, and physiotherapy treatment, in addition to the help of a family doctor.
It is important for policymakers to help patients get access to physiotherapy and other potentially beneficial services.
Some possible methods include using telehealth and remote presence robots. They may help overcome the barriers to back pain care.
The lead author of the study is Brenna Bath, Associate Professor, University of Saskatchewan
The study is published in BMC Health Services Research.
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