Physical therapy modalities are widely used in musculoskeletal rehabilitation, particularly to reduce painful symptoms. This would be accomplished through their action on local inflammation and specific stimulation of the cellular metabolism by means of different forms of energy. Spinal pain is one of the most prevalent musculoskeletal disorders. Numerous papers have studied the efficacy of physical modalities such as therapeutic ultrasound, laser therapy and TENS, in comparison to placebo. The aim of this article is to present the scientific findings published on this subject and discuss their clinical implications.