Researchers from Keele University in Staffordshire, UK, have suggested in a new study that, in comparison to the traditional one-size-fits-all primary care for back pain, a ‘stratified’ approach to back pain management – customized to suit the needs of each individual - is apparently a more effective option!

It is on the basis of a screening questionnaire that the stratified model assigns groups – low, medium, and high risk - to people suffering from low back. The patients are allocated to the three mentioned groups in accordance with their projected risk of continual disability; and their treatment is then personalized according to their individual requirements.

For the study, the researchers randomly assigned 851 participating patients to either stratified care or conventional care based on the existing practice in which physiotherapists offer advice, exercise and manual therapy to the patients.

It was found that, after four months and after one year, patients comprising the intervention group showed a noteworthy improvement in disability scores vis-à-vis their counterparts in the control group.

Noting that patients in the intervention group reported better general health, as well as reduced fear and lower depression levels, the researchers said that the trial underscores that “a stratified management approach to target the provision of primary care significantly improves patient outcomes.” In addition, they also said that the stratified model linked with “substantial economic benefits compared with current best practice.”