|
Education
Eases Lower Back Pain
NEW
YORK (Reuters Health) - Public education campaigns about low back
pain can remedy people's misconceptions about the ailment, Australian
researchers report.
Ultimately,
the investigators found that such efforts reduce workers' compensation
complaints and costs associated with low back pain, according
to the report in the June 23rd issue of the British Medical Journal.
The researchers
surveyed 4,730 residents of two states in Australia before the
kick-off of a campaign to educate people about low back pain prevention
and treatment. The study participants were interviewed again at
2 years and 2.5 years after the campaign.
The campaign
included print ads, pamphlets, and TV and radio spots emphasizing
new treatment approaches for low back pain, such as less bed rest
and more activity, and featuring people talking about how they
successfully managed their back pain.
``Our results
indicate that a population-based intervention...of explicit advice
about back pain can positively alter beliefs about back pain in
the general population and positively influence knowledge and
attitudes among doctors,'' Dr. Rachelle Buchbinder of Monash University
in Melbourne, Australia, and colleagues write.
In addition,
Buchbinder's team found that the number of workers' compensation
claims for back pain decreased by 15%, and there was a 20% reduction
in medical costs per claim 30 months after the campaign began.
``This is
an interesting study and the results are pretty convincing that
such a campaign can have an important impact on updating public
perceptions based on new medical research on the treatment of
low back pain,'' Dr. Richard A. Deyo of the University of Washington
in Seattle told Reuters Health in an interview. Deyo was not involved
with the study.
``No one has
ever monitored a public educational campaign about back pain,''
he added.
In the US,
back pain is the leading cause of workers' compensation costs
and back surgery rates are twice the rate of those seen in Australia
and most other developed nations, Deyo noted.
People with
low back pain are often fearful of being active, he pointed out,
because they wrongly believe that it will cause them further harm.
``Most people
get better naturally and people shouldn't think that just because
they have low back pain they are doomed forever or that they must
have surgery,'' he said.
In a second
study published in the same issue of the British Medical Journal,
another group of researchers found that the most successful treatment
for low back pain involves an intensive multi-therapy approach
called multi-disciplinary rehabilitation. The study was conducted
at the Institute for Work and Health in Toronto.
``There is
no universal agreement on how to define multi-disciplinary rehabilitation,''
said lead author Dr. Jaime Guzman of the University of Manitoba
in Winnipeg, Canada.
``Our definition
for the study asked that treatment include a physical component
like using fairly intensive exercises to improve strength and
function,'' he told Reuters Health.
In addition,
it should include a psychological component using individual or
group counseling on strategies to better cope with pain, and a
social/occupational component that assessed and advised patients
on how to better deal with family and occupational issues, Guzman
explained.
An example
of such treatment is having people with back pain attend exercise,
educational and counseling sessions for 6 to 8 hours daily Monday
through Friday for 6 to 8 weeks, Guzman told Reuters Health.
The researchers
reviewed the outcomes of 10 trials of treatment for low back pain.
Programs fell into two main categories: daily intensive programs
including more than 100 hours of therapy; and once- or twice-weekly
programs including less than 30 hours of therapy.
Low back pain
patients who had 100 hours or more of multi-disciplinary rehabilitation
saw the most improvement in overall body function and reductions
in pain, Guzman reported. Those who had 30 hours or less of therapy
saw no benefit at all.
``My advice
to people is that they should not rely on the name of the therapy,
but rather look into what is included,'' Guzman said.
``Successful
programs reported in the trials we reviewed included more than
100 hours of active physical therapy, counseling and pain coping
sessions, and social and or occupational counseling and intervention,''
he added.
SOURCE:
British Medical Journal 2001;322:1511-1520.
Reference
Source 89
For more information on how to prevent other diseases, use
PreventDisease.com's "Quick
Prevention Resources".
|
