JustPhysio, Physio Jobs

Physiotherapist calls for better access to CBT

Tuesday 2nd March 2010

A leading expert in physiotherapy has said patients who suffer from chronic back pain should have better access to cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

According to Grahame Pope, head of physiotherapy education at the University of Nottingham, such treatments need to be rolled out more widely.

His comments were made in the wake of research from the University of Warwick, which discovered that participants included in a CBT intervention group reported more than twice the improvement in their chronic lower-back pain over a year's treatment than those who were not in the group.

Mr Pope remarked: "If, as the paper suggests, the patients being exposed to CBT are finding benefits when compared to alternatives, it adds further evidence that [it] ought to be provided in more centres."

He added that healthcare professionals who have experience of the technique have been convinced that it provides an effective way for people to manage their discomfort.

Written by Megan Smith