Is early physical therapy associated with less opioid use in patients with musculoskeletal pain?

(JAMA Network) The use of early physical therapy in a study of nearly 89,000   US adults with musculoskeletal pain of the shoulder, neck, knee and low back was associated with a lower likelihood of subsequent opioid use in an analysis of health insurance claims from 2007 to 2015. For patients who did use opioids, early physical therapy was associated with reduced opioid use for shoulder, knee and low back pain but not neck pain.
Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news