A Study of Non-Specific Low Back Pain in a College Population including a Case Study Analysis of Physical Therapy Patient Data

This study will investigate the presence, causes, treatments, and effects of non-specific low back pain in a college population, between the ages of 18 and 24. It includes a literature review of the current research on the subject, as well as an extended case study of the evaluation, treatment, and outcomes of 30 patients treated by a local physical therapist. Non-specific low back pain is low back pain that does not have an anatomical cause; consequently, low back pain that is the result of a fracture, strained muscle, or other physical anomaly is not explored in this study. It is found that there are physical and psychosocial causes and treatments for non-specific low back pain, with little evidence of a standardized treatment plan. It is likely that no such plan exists given the varied nature of this type of pain, but several factors of the reviewed physical therapy treatment plan, including core strengthening and stretching, were seen to be helpful in reducing non-specific low back pain in the population examined.