There are now 8 RCTs of advice to stay active with consistent
findings.
Advice to continue ordinary
activity can give equivalent or faster symptomatic recovery from the acute
attack, and lead to less chronic disability and less time off work than
‘traditional’ medical treatment with analgesics as required, advice to
rest and ‘let pain be your guide’ for return to normal activity.
Graded reactivation over a
short period of days or a few weeks, combined with behavioural management
of pain, makes little difference to the rate of initial recovery of pain
and disability, but leads to less chronic disability and work loss.
Advice to return to normal
work within a planned short time may lead to shorter periods of work loss
and less time off work.
