A combination of physical, psychological, educational, and work related rehab is more effective that usual care for decreasing pain and disability in people with chronic low back pain, an analysis of the evidence reveals.

The Cochrane systematic review and analysis of 41 trials found that referring a patient with chronic low back pain for multidisciplinary rehabilitation — as opposed to usual care or a physical treatment–  was likely to reduce pain and disability beyond one year.

Compared with physical treatments, patients who had a multidisciplinary approach to their rehabilitation were also more likely to be at work a year later, the Sydney based authors reported in the BMJ. 

“These modest effects should be weighed against the monetary costs and time commitments associated with multidisciplinary rehabilitation programmes,” they concluded.