DR. MRS OBASEKI C.O

Background: Low back pain (LBP) remains a significant global health challenge, impacting individuals across all agegroups and socioeconomic strata. Despite advancements in physiotherapeutic interventions, the debate persists on the preference for manual therapy (MT) versus electrotherapy (ET) as adjuvants in managing LBP. This study evaluates the preferences of physiotherapists for MT or ET in the treatment of LBP within a tertiary health institution. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate physiotherapists' intervention preferences for manual therapy or electrotherapy in the treatment of low back pain. In addition, it also seeks to identify the factors that influence their intervention preference and to assess the implication of these intervention preferences on patients’ outcome and clinical practice in general Method: Utilizing a purposive sampling technique, data for this study was collected using the self-administered questionnaire adapted from the Pain Attitudes and Belief Scale for Physiotherapy (PABS-PT) questionnaire. 45 physiotherapists (57% female and 42% male) were recruited from seven (7) units completed the questionnaire. Descriptive statistics of mean, frequency and standard deviation were used to summarize the data. Result: 57.8% were female, while 42.2% were male .Most respondents (73.3%) were aged 18–29 years, indicating a young workforce with 91.1% having a Bachelor’s degree. 64.4% had less than one year of clinical experience, with only 8.9% practicing for more than 10 years. 55.6% reported frequent use of MT, 46.7% often used ET, while 26.7% always used it. 68.9% consistently utilized exercise therapy alongside MT and ET. 37.8% believed MT was the most effective for LBP, 51.1% considered ET an essential treatment component and majority (55.6%) factored clinical reasoning into their choice of therapy. The main barriers of utilization were, lack of equipment reported 80%., lack of time cited 54.5%, patients with iv comorbidities Identified by 66.7% and insufficient training noted by 57.8%. Treatment Approaches for LBP Only 15.6% preferred MT alone, while 13.3% favored ET alone treatment. The majority (55.6%) preferred combining MT and ET for better outcomes. Conclusion: The study highlighted that physiotherapists recognize the benefits of integrating MT and ET to address the multifactorial nature of LBP effectively. However, barriers such as lack of equipment and insufficient training limit optimal utilization.