Effect of Physiotherapy in Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department With Nonspecific Lower Back Pain (EPAC-II)

University Hospital Basel

Status: Completed

Conditions: Lower Back Pain

Treatments: Other: physiotherapeutic intervention

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05156957

2021-02166 am21Bingisser;

Details and patient eligibility

About

Physiotherapy is a long established therapy in lower back pain. It is unknown if physiotherapeutic interventions in patients presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) with nonspecific lower back pain are beneficial. The aim of this study is to assess whether patients presenting to the emergency department with non-specific low risk low back pain would benefit from a physiotherapy intervention, as compared to patients without physiotherapy intervention at time of ED presentation.

Enrollment: 126 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Written informed consent
• Experiencing nonspecific lower back pain
• Presentation to the Emergency Department (ED) of the University Hospital Basel

Exclusion criteria

• Inpatient disposition after ED work-up

• "Red Flags" at time of ED-presentation:

  1. Major trauma in all patients
  2. Fractures leading to immobilization
  3. Severe or progressive sensory alteration or weakness
  4. Bladder or bowel dysfunction
  5. Evidence of neurological deficit on physical examination
  6. Severe chronic disease, such as metastasized cancer, palliative care

• Epidural steroid injections in the last 3 months

• Inability or contraindications to undergo the investigated intervention or to follow the study procedures, e.g. due to certain neurological disorders, language problems, psychological disorders, cognitive impairment, physical inability etc.

• Prior enrolment in this trial

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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126 participants in 2 patient groups

intervention group

Experimental group

Description:

The study intervention is a brief physiotherapeutic assessment, a brief information on the expected course of the condition, and a brief instruction on self-management, including three exercises for daily self-guided therapy.

Treatment:

Other: physiotherapeutic intervention

control group

No Intervention group

Description:

The control group will receive written information on the expected course of the condition, written instructions on self-management and written instructions on exercises for daily self-guided therapy.