Introduction. Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common medical conditions in the United States. Clinical practice guidelines recommend active treatment approaches; however, there continues to be a significant disparity in how patients with LBP are treated. Therefore, the purpose of this systematic review is to evaluate the reported efficacy of active treatment approaches as recommended by clinical practice guidelines on LBP treatment on patient outcomes. Methods. Between the months of June and August 2015, a comprehensive search of the PubMed, Medline (EBSCO Host), and CINAHL (EBSCO Host) databases was performed. The search was restricted to articles that were published in a peer-reviewed journal, published in the English language, examined patient outcomes with a determined scale, determined the usage of an established clinical practice guideline for LBP treatment, reported at least one outcome measure, and specified either nonspecific or acute LBP. Results. Fifty-three articles were initially identified, with 4 articles ultimately meeting the criteria after screening. Articles scored between 17 and 20 points based on a maximum total score of 26 on the modified Downs and Black checklist. Conclusion. Studies identified in this review indicate that adherence to an active treatment approach as recommended by clinical practice guidelines may result in improved patient outcomes.
Keywords: clinical practice guidelines; low back pain; patient outcomes; physical therapy.