Physical Therapy
October, 2001 Volume 81, Number 10
Collective Name: Philadelphia Panel
Study Outcomes & Clinical Relevance: According to this expert panel, only therapeutic exercise has enough scientific support to warrant its recommendation as an intervention in the treatment of chronic, subacute, and postsurgical low back pain. These recommendations essentially match other national and international practice guidelines. Advantages of an active approach to physical rehabilitation include empowering the patient, decreasing dependency on the health care provider, and impacting other health-related risk factors of secondary interest. Of interest to practitioners working in MedX-equipped facilities, this review did include a randomized controlled trial by Risch et al. (1993) that utilized MedX as an effective, high-technology intervention in the treatment of chronic low back pain.