In response to the frequent postings of "What is effective for xyz?" and
"How to triage/manage waiting lists?" I offer the abstract below as one
of many, many studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of PT and early
intervention. For more studies please conduct a Medline search for a
wealth of information.

Effectiveness of early physical therapy in the treatment of acute low
back
                              musculoskeletal disorders.
 AUTHORS:
                              Zigenfus GC; Yin J; Giang GM; Fogarty WT
 AUTHOR AFFILIATION:
                              Concentra Health Services, Inc., Addison,
Texas 75001, USA.
 SOURCE:
                              J Occup Environ Med 2000 Jan;42(1):35-9
 CITATION IDS:
                              PMID: 10652686 UI: 20118279
 ABSTRACT:
                              This study was designed to evaluate the
effects of early physical therapy
                              intervention on treatment outcomes for
workers with acute low back
                              injuries. A total of 3867 cases were
randomly selected from the database of
                              a large occupational health care provider.
Cases were assigned to either the
                              early therapy intervention group or one of
the two comparison groups on the
                              basis of their delay to physical therapy.
The treatment outcomes for the
                              three groups were compared. The results
showed that patients in the early
                              therapy intervention had more favorable
outcomes than the two comparison
                              groups. Specifically, patients in the
early intervention group had fewer
                              physician visits, fewer restricted
workdays, fewer days away from work, and
                              shorter case duration. These results
provide a strong indication for the
                              effectiveness of early therapy
intervention. The financial implications of the
                              findings is discussed.
 MAIN MESH HEADINGS:
                              Back Injuries/*rehabilitation
                              Musculoskeletal Diseases/*rehabilitation
                              Occupational Diseases/*rehabilitation
                              *Physical Therapy
 ADDITIONAL MESH
 HEADINGS:
                              Absenteeism
                              Adult
                              Comparative Study
                              Female
                              Human
                              Intervention Studies
                              Male
                              Middle Age
                              Time Factors
                              Treatment Outcome
                              2000/02
                              2000/01 09:00
 PUBLICATION TYPES:
                              JOURNAL ARTICLE
 LANGUAGES:
                              Eng
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Douglas M. White, PT, OCS
Physical Therapist, Consultant
191 Blue Hills Parkway
Milton, MA USA 02186
P: 617.696.1974
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http://DouglasWhite.tripod.com




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