{"id":3595,"date":"2024-08-30T12:20:21","date_gmt":"2024-08-30T12:20:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/integrativa.pt\/?p=3595"},"modified":"2026-01-31T09:31:30","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T09:31:30","slug":"low-back-pain-myths-facts-and-the-role-of-physiotherapy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/integrativa.pt\/en\/dor-lombar-mitos-factos-e-o-papel-da-fisioterapia\/","title":{"rendered":"Low back pain: myths, facts and the role of physiotherapy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Low back pain is one of the main causes of functional limitation worldwide, affecting millions of people every year. It is estimated that in 2020 around 619 million people will have experienced episodes of low back pain, which corresponds to approximately 1 in 13 individuals. Despite its high prevalence, there are still many myths and misinterpretations surrounding this condition.<\/p>\n

A better understanding of what science currently describes about low back pain is an important step towards more informed management that is adjusted to clinical reality. This is precisely the focus of World Physiotherapy Day 2024, marked on 8 September, which highlights low back pain and the role of physiotherapy in its management.<\/p>\n

Low back pain can happen at any age<\/h4>\n

There's a perception that lower back pain is a problem only for older people. However, episodes of low back pain can occur at any stage of life. Although most people will experience at least one episode throughout their lives, only a small percentage develop persistent low back pain, generally defined as pain lasting longer than three months.<\/p>\n

This distinction is important because it helps to reduce unnecessary fears and to understand that, in most cases, low back pain has a favourable evolution.<\/p>\n

What non-specific low back pain means and how it is assessed<\/h4>\n

One of the most common misconceptions is to assume that low back pain is always associated with an identifiable structural lesion. Scientific evidence indicates that around 90% of low back pain episodes are classified as non-specific, i.e. they are not directly associated with a pathology or a specific structure, such as a muscle, joint or intervertebral disc.<\/p>\n

In these cases, the pain does not necessarily indicate the presence of a serious condition, but is rather the result of multiple interacting factors, including load, movement, life context and the body's individual response.<\/p>\n

Physiotherapy plays an important role in different phases of low back pain<\/h4>\n

Among the various health conditions, low back pain is one of those in which the greatest number of people can benefit from rehabilitation. Regardless of the stage of the pain, acute or persistent, rehabilitation plays a central role in clinical follow-up.<\/p>\n

Physiotherapy contributes not only to functional recovery, but also to:<\/p>\n