Recent research suggests that agreement between patients' and health professionals' perceptions may influence the outcome of various painful conditions. This study aimed at exploring the relationship between patient-physiotherapist agreement on baseline low back pain intensity and related functional limitations, and changes in patient outcomes four weeks later. The results showed that baseline level of patient-physiotherapist agreement on pain intensity was associated with both outcome measures at follow-up, although agreement on functional limitations had no impact on outcomes. The authors conclude that the patient-physiotherapist agreement has some impacts on the short-term outcomes of low back pain. Further research is needed to confirm these findings.
BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2006, 7:76