Spinal pain management. The role of physical and rehabilitation medicine physicians. The European perspective based on the best evidence. A paper by the UEMS-PRM Section Professional Practice Committe

Abstract

One of the objectives of the Professional Practice Committee (PPC) of the Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM) Section of the Union of European Medical Specialists (UEMS) is the development of the field of competence of PRM physicians in Europe. To achieve this objective, UEMS PRM Section PPC has adopted a systematic action plan of preparing a series of papers describing the role of PRM physicians in a number of disabling health conditions, based on the evidence of effectiveness of the PRM interventions. The aim of this paper is to describe the role of PRM physicians in the management of spinal pain focusing particularly on low back pain and neck pain. These disorders are associated with significant disability that results in activity limitations and participation restrictions. A wide variety of PRM interventions including patient education, behavioural therapies, exercise, a number of physical modalities, manual techniques, and multidisciplinary rehabilitation may help patients with low back pain and cervical pain in improving their functioning. PRM physicians may address many of the problems encountered by these patients in many life areas taking the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health as a reference guide and may have an important role in improving the quality of their lives.