When people have backaches bad enough to send them to the doctor, prompt physical therapy may be a wise choice, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that when those patients had “early” PT — within a couple weeks of seeing a doctor — they were less likely to need other, often pricey, types of medical care.
Over the next month to year, they were less likely to see a specialist or a chiropractor, land in the emergency room, need imaging tests like MRI, or receive injection pain medication into the spine.
Experts said the findings are in line with what they see in everyday practice….