{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,3]],"date-time":"2026-06-03T01:26:17Z","timestamp":1780449977514,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":19,"publisher":"PeerJ","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,14]],"date-time":"2025-04-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1744588800000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n               <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n               <jats:p>Low back pain (LBP) is a prevalent musculoskeletal disorder that significantly contributes to disability and health care burden. Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) recommend non-pharmacological interventions, such as those delivered by physical therapists, to improve clinical outcomes. Incorporating patient preferences into treatment decisions is essential for promoting patient-centered care and enhancing adherence to CPGs. This study aimed to explore the physical therapy treatment preferences of patients with chronic LBP (CLBP) in Saudi Arabia and to evaluate their alignment with CPG recommendations.<\/jats:p>\n            <\/jats:sec>\n            <jats:sec>\n               <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n               <jats:p>This cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted across three healthcare centers in Saudi Arabia. Patient preferences were assessed using a validated questionnaire that listed available physical therapy treatments for CLBP. The participants were provided with a standardized explanation of evidence-based treatment options based on the updated CPGs for LBP before selecting their preferred treatments. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and chi-square tests to assess the alignment of preferences with CPG recommendations.<\/jats:p>\n            <\/jats:sec>\n            <jats:sec>\n               <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n               <jats:p>A total of 138 participants were included, with 60.1% of the selected treatments aligning with CPG recommendations (<jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u00a0&lt;\u00a00.001). Sociodemographic factors, such as sex, prior physical therapy experience, and body mass index (BMI), influenced treatment preferences. Exercise was the most preferred treatment, aligning with CPGs, while passive modalities, such as interferential therapy, were also frequently chosen despite not being recommended.<\/jats:p>\n            <\/jats:sec>\n            <jats:sec>\n               <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n               <jats:p>This study highlights the importance of understanding patient preferences to improve adherence to CPGs and promote evidence-based care for CLBP. Educational interventions tailored to the cultural context can bridge the gap between patient preferences and evidence-based recommendations, empower patients, and enhance clinical outcomes.<\/jats:p>\n            <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.7717\/peerj.19274","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,14]],"date-time":"2025-04-14T08:35:16Z","timestamp":1744619716000},"page":"e19274","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Treatment preferences of patients with chronic low back pain in physical therapy clinics in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study"],"prefix":"10.7717","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Maryam","family":"Alasfour","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Physical Therapy Department, King Salman Hospital, Riyadh First Health Cluster, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Majd","family":"Bajnaid","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Physical Therapy Department, Abu Arish General Hospital, Ministry of Health, Jazan, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Salhah","family":"Hobani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Physical Therapy Department, Sabya General Hospital, Ministry of Health, Sabya, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Muhammad","family":"Alrwaily","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Physical Therapy, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown,  United States of America"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"4443","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,14]]},"reference":[{"issue":"9","key":"10.7717\/peerj.19274\/ref-1","first-page":"952","article-title":"Prevalence of radiographic knee osteoarthritis in Saudi Arabia","volume":"24","author":"Al-Arfaj","year":"2003","journal-title":"Saudi Medical Journal"},{"key":"10.7717\/peerj.19274\/ref-2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"13288","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph182413288","article-title":"Prevalence and risk factors associated with low back pain in the Saudi adult community: a cross-sectional study","volume":"18","author":"Alhowimel","year":"2021","journal-title":"International Journal of Environmental Research & Public Health"},{"key":"10.7717\/peerj.19274\/ref-3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"56","DOI":"10.1186\/s12891-019-2431-5","article-title":"Prevalence and factors associated with low back pain among health care workers in southwestern Saudi Arabia","volume":"20","author":"Alnaami","year":"2019","journal-title":"BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders"},{"key":"10.7717\/peerj.19274\/ref-4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"107","DOI":"10.1080\/21679169.2018.1496474","article-title":"A preference for dialogue: exploring the influence of patient preferences on clinical decision making and treatment in primary care physiotherapy","volume":"21","author":"Bernhardsson","year":"2019","journal-title":"European Journal of Physiotherapy"},{"key":"10.7717\/peerj.19274\/ref-5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"68","DOI":"10.1080\/10669817.2021.1989754","article-title":"The healthcare buffet: preferences in the clinical decision-making process for patients with musculoskeletal pain","volume":"30","author":"Bialosky","year":"2022","journal-title":"The Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy"},{"key":"10.7717\/peerj.19274\/ref-6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"257","DOI":"10.1136\/jamia.1998.0050257","article-title":"Improving health care by understanding patient preferences: the role of computer technology","volume":"5","author":"Brennan","year":"1998","journal-title":"Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association: JAMIA"},{"key":"10.7717\/peerj.19274\/ref-7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"447","DOI":"10.1093\/occmed\/kql056","article-title":"Low back pain and occupation among Irish health service workers","volume":"56","author":"Cunningham","year":"2006","journal-title":"Occupational Medicine"},{"key":"10.7717\/peerj.19274\/ref-8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1624","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.2016.1464","article-title":"CDC guideline for prescribing opioids for chronic pain\u2014United States, 2016","volume":"315","author":"Dowell","year":"2016","journal-title":"JAMA"},{"key":"10.7717\/peerj.19274\/ref-9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"103195","DOI":"10.1016\/j.msksp.2024.103195","article-title":"Do patients\u2019 preferences and expectations match clinical guidelines? 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