Physiotherapy as an Adjunct to Medical Therapy in Backache: Comparative Effectiveness Analysis

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of combined physiotherapy and medical treatment versus medical treatment alone in reducing the severity of backache.Methodology: A quasi-experimental study was conducted in the Surgery Outpatient Department of Al-Nafees Medical College and Hospital, Islamabad, during 2018.A total of 457 patients aged 18 -65 years with non-specific backache of more than four weeks' duration were included through purposive sampling.Participants were allocated into two groups: Group A (n = 229) received physiotherapy plus medical treatment, and Group B (n = 228) received medical treatment only.Pain severity was graded on a four-point scale (none, mild, moderate, severe) before and after treatment.Data were analysed using SPSS version 26.0, with Chi-square and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests applied; a p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: A total of 457 patients (140 males, 317 females) were enrolled and divided into two groups: Group A (n = 229) received combined physiotherapy and medical treatment, while group B (n = 228) received medical treatment only.Both groups showed significant post-treatment improvement in pain severity (p < 0.001, Wilcoxon signed-rank test).The mean reduction in severity score was greater in group A (2.45 ± 0.64) than in group B (2.28 ± 0.71; t = 2.12, p = 0.035).The overall improvement rate was 70.3% in group A and 68.0% in group B. Female participants exhibited slightly greater proportional improvement than males.These findings indicate that adding physiotherapy to standard medical management provides superior pain relief and functional recovery in patients with backache.Conclusion: Both treatment modalities were effective in alleviating backache; however, combined physiotherapy and medical therapy achieved greater pain reduction and functional improvement.The addition of physiotherapy significantly enhanced recovery, particularly among female patients, supporting its role as a valuable adjunct to standard medical management of backache.