Potential impact of early physiotherapy in the emergency department for non-traumatic neck and back pain.

BACKGROUND

Musculoskeletal complaints, especially non-traumatic neck and back pain, are routinely encountered in the emergency department (ED) and lead to ED overcrowding, a burgeoning wait time for physiotherapy and outpatient orthopedic reviews. The study aimed to evaluate the impact of early physiotherapy evaluation and treatment (EPET) vs. standard care (SC) on clinical outcomes for patients presenting to the ED with non-traumatic neck and back pain.

METHODS

A retrospective observational study of 125 patients who presented to the ED with non-traumatic neck and back pain with/without peripheral symptoms from July 2010 to February 2011. Neck Disability Index (NDI), Modified Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire (MODI) and 11-point Numeric Pain Rating Scale were used as outcome measures and compared between groups at a mean of 34 days from their initial ED visit.

RESULTS

We identified a total of 125 patients. EPET group comprised 62 patients (mean age, 45 years; men, 63%) and SC group comprised 63 patients (mean age, 45 years; men, 43%). The EPET and SC groups received physiotherapy at a median of 4 and 34 days respectively from their first ED visit. EPET patients had significantly lower levels of disability (9.0% vs. 33.4%, Welch -test, <0.001) and pain (median value, 1 vs. 4 points, Mann-Whitney -test, <0.001) compared with SC patients.

CONCLUSION

Early access to physiotherapy in ED was associated with reduced pain and disability levels. EPET protocol can potentially decrease the demand on outpatient orthopedic services, thereby freeing up available resources to treat patients who are more likely to benefit from it.