Physiotherapists' ability to identify and manage specific low back pain: an exploratory vignette-based cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is a major global burden expected to increase in the years to come. Clinical practice guidelines recommend diagnostic triage as a first step to differentiate specific from non-specific LBP, which might be challenging in clinical practice.

Objectives: This exploratory study aimed to evaluate the ability of specialized musculoskeletal physiotherapists to recognize and manage cases of specific LBP.

Design: This study design is an online cross vignette-based-sectional study.

Methods: Physiotherapists (n = 105) with a post-graduate degree in musculoskeletal/orthopaedic manual therapy were recruited in Belgium to participate in an online study (Direct Physio trial). We evaluated their ability to recognize specific underlying spinal pathologies through two clinical vignettes describing the symptoms of a patient with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) and spondyloarthritis (SA).

Results: The majority of physiotherapists suspected a specific cause of LBP in both vignettes (i.e., 69% for the LSS and 94% for the SA case). The detection rate of the correct spinal pathology was 47% for the LSS case and 28% for the SA case. As a first clinical step, 31% of the physiotherapists chose to refer the LSS case for medical management, compared to 94% for the SA case.

Conclusion: This exploratory study provides preliminary, condition-specific insights into the diagnostic triage performance of specialized physiotherapists. Although the majority of physiotherapists suspected a specific cause of LBP, recognition of the diagnosis and referral decisions remain variable across the conditions explored. Future efforts should focus on the evaluation of clinical and cost-effectiveness of direct access to physiotherapists in healthcare trajectories.