Health Education vs. Health Education Plus Physical Therapy for Low Back Pain Patients

Health Education vs. Health Education Plus Physical Therapy for Low Back Pain Patients

The primary purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of a brief educational program and of an additional program in physical therapy, for the treatment of low back pain in Primary Care of the Spanish National Health Service. This is a controlled, cluster randomized community trial.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Consultation for low back pain, with or without referred or radiated pain; no signs of systemic disease or criteria for surgery.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Inability to fill out the questionnaires (blindness, dementia, illiteracy; total habitual prostration;
• Diagnosis of rheumatologic inflammatory disease, fibromyalgia or cancer in last 5 years;
• Suspicion of fibromyalgia.