After following more than 200 patients having lower back pain issue for a year, researchers concluded that taking physical therapy soon after lower back pain starts may help provide the relief soon in comparison to taking no step and provides less effect when help is taken later.

The researchers randomly assigned participants to receive either physical therapy or no treatment for four weeks. Physical therapy provided more improvement in disability in comparison to other people in the study. It shall also be noted that there was not much difference between the groups after a year.

Study’s lead researcher Julie Fritz, associate dean for research at the College of Health at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, said there are no quick fixes for treating back pain.

Fritz said, “The take-home message for patients is that physical therapy may help somewhat in promoting a more rapid return to function following an episode of low back pain”.

If to go as per current physician practice guidelines, physical therapy or other specialists should not be engaged for a few weeks in order to see if the pain lessens on its own without treatment. One of the problems noticed in usual care is that there is actually no care at all.