The Importance of Early Physical Therapy Consultation
When should you see someone for low back pain? This is a tricky question as it comes with the big “it depends” tag attached. Studies show that up to 90% of low back pain resolves on its own. On the surface, this number is encouraging, however, roughly three-quarters of patients will have recurrent low back pain within a year. Lastly, only 5% of people with acute low back pain will go on to develop chronic low back pain with disability. How do we determine who the 5% is and how do we make it 0%?
When to seek care for low back pain
Medication and surgery don’t fix the problem
How to best address pain
So, when should you consult a PT?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Zach has numerous research publications in peer-reviewed rehabilitation and medical journals. He has developed and taught weekend continuing education courses in the areas of plan of care development, exercise prescription, pain science, and nutrition. He has presented research at numerous national conferences including APTA CSM, APTA NEXT, and the ACRM annual conference.
Zach is an active member of the Orthopedic and Research sections of the American Physical Therapy Association and the Physical Therapy Association of Georgia. He currently served on the APTA Science and Practice Affairs Committee and the PTAG Barney Poole Leadership Academy.