Women with chronic low back pain in a rural settlement: challenges from a physical therapy perspective

Abstract This article discusses the need for physiotherapists to develop greater cultural competence for a broader approach to chronic pain. We first review different models of body and pain, from an anatomy laboratory training and anthropological perspective. By contrasting these perspectives, we analyze three situations experienced during the field work, while researching six women with chronic low back pain in a rural settlement. Based on these situations, we discuss how life trajectories mark the ways in which we perceive our bodies, how cultural competence is relevant to develop the professional’s ability to listen and take action, and how conviviality and collective action among these women during work in a cooperative can contribute to coping with pain in this rural context. A more qualified understanding of the background of patients with chronic back pain reveals the limits of physical therapy education and allows to rethink the treatment needs and possibilities in different contexts.