The attitudes and beliefs about manual therapy held by patients experiencing low back pain: a scoping review

Review written by Robin Kerr info

Key Points

  1. Patient attitudes to manual therapy for management of low back pain (LBP) are positive.
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BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE

Manual Therapy (MT) has traditionally been a mainstay in the management of low back pain (LBP), however more recently the use of MT has become somewhat controversial. Evidence based therapists should be moving away from biomedical/biomechanical narratives regarding MT, acknowledging that therapy outcomes involve a complex interplay of factors, including the patient’s attitudes and beliefs (1). Sparse research exists on how a patient’s attitudes and beliefs on MT impact treatment outcomes.

This UK scoping review aimed to explore existing research on patient attitudes and beliefs on MT and to identify gaps for future research.

Therapists should be aware that therapy outcomes involve a complex interplay of factors, including the patient’s attitudes and beliefs.
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Therapists need to take into consideration the patient’s beliefs and attitudes as they are powerful contextual factors in the therapeutic interaction.

METHODS

  • A five-stage Scoping Review with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Scoping Review Checklist was followed.
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