The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of a short education program and short physiotherapy program for treating low back pain (LBP) in primary care.  Sixty-nine primary care physicians were randomly assigned to 3 groups and recruited 348 patients consulting for LBP; 265 (79.8%) were chronic. All patients received usual care, were given a booklet and received a consistent 15 minutes group talk on health education, which focused on healthy nutrition habits in the control group, and on active management for LBP in the “education” and “education + physiotherapy” groups. Additionally, in the “education + physiotherapy” group, patients were given a second booklet and a 15-minute group talk on postural hygiene, and 4 one-hour physiotherapy sessions of exercise and stretching which they were encouraged to keep practicing at home. The main outcome measure was improvement of LBP-related disability at 6 months. Patients’ assessment and data analyses were blinded. During the 6-month follow-up period, improvement in the “control” group was negligible. Additionalimprovement in the “education” and “education + physiotherapy” groups was found for disability, LBP, referred pain, catastrophizing, physical quality of life, and mental quality of life.
The addition of a short education program on active management to usual care in primary care leads to small but consistent improvements in disability, pain, and quality of life. The addition of a short physiotherapy program composed of education on postural hygiene and exercise intended to be continued at home, increases those improvements, although the magnitude of that increase is clinically irrelevant.