Getting Physical with Back Pain

Low back pain (LBP) can be debilitating and result in decreased mobility and reduced quality of life. This paper describes a quality improvement project focusing on managing LBP using an evidenced-based, multimodal approach. The multimodal approach included physical therapy combined with an analgesic and/or anti-inflammatory medication for pain that provide different mechanisms of action. The selected population were patients who presented with low back pain in a primary care setting. The participants attended physical therapy for four weeks while taking an individualized, prescribed medication regimen based on pain rating scores and LBP physical assessment. On the follow-up evaluation, all participants reported reduced pain and 67% demonstrated a decrease of three or more points on the Wong FACES Pain Rating Scale, an increase of five or more points on the Quality of Life Scale, and an increase of five or more points on the Back Pain Function Scale from pre to post intervention. The primary goal of this quality improvement project was to implement and evaluate an evidence-based, multimodal treatment approach to improve health outcomes for persons experiencing LBP. Multimodal LBP management lead to decreased pain, increased mobility, and an increase in the overall quality of life for patients.