Low Back Pain Patient Education Evaluation

Stanford University

Status

Completed

Conditions

Low Back Pain

Treatments

Procedure: Patient education evaluation

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

NIH

Identifiers

NCT00000408

R01AR044939 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Details and patient eligibility

About

Back pain is one of the most common of all symptoms. It is also a great cause of days lost from work and visits to health care providers. This study will develop and evaluate an approach to low back pain that allows subjects to talk with each other and with health professionals via an Internet discussion group. Results we will look at include health behaviors, such as exercise; health status, such as pain and disability; and health care use, such as number of visits to doctors and other health care providers. Anyone 18 years old or older who lives in the United States and has ongoing Internet access can take part in the study. All subjects must have back pain and meet the eligibility criteria listed below.

Full description

This study will develop and evaluate in a randomized trial a low back pain intervention that allows subjects to talk with each other and with health professionals via an Internet discussion group. The intervention consists of a book and a videotape and is based on interaction with other participants in the program and health professionals through a closed password protected moderated Internet discussion group. Outcome measures include health behaviors, such as exercise; health status, such as pain and disability; and health care use, such as number of visits to doctors and other health care providers. Patients will be randomized either to the treatment group and followed for 6, 12, 18, and 24 months with the intervention.

Enrollment

580 patients

Sex

All

Ages

18+ years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Must live in the United States
Must understand and write English
Must have access to a computer with e-mail and expect to have this access for at least 3 years
Must be 18 years old
Must have seen a doctor for back pain at least once in the past year

Exclusion criteria

Pregnancy
Back surgery in the past 6 months
Expectation of having back surgery in the next 6 months
Back pain due to a car accident or other major injury within the last 6 months
Back pain or sciatica due to systemic disease (inflammatory rheumatic diseases, tumor, or other)
Major physical or mental health condition for which one is currently being treated that severely limits daily activities
Terminal illness
Receiving disability or workers compensation insurance payments for back pain or sciatica
Presently involved in legal proceedings because of back pain or sciatica
Difficulty with bladder or bowel control that began with back pain or sciatica
No visits to a doctor in the past year for back pain or sciatica
Numbness in crotch area that began with back pain or sciatica
Age under 18