Online Physical Exercise for Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBPEO)

Mathieu Roy

Status: Completed

Conditions: Chronic Low-back Pain

Treatments: Behavioral: Interactive physical exercise; Behavioral: Video physical exercise

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05895630

CLBPEO

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study aims to evaluate the effects of technology-based interventions, specifically web-based platforms, on outcomes of patients with chronic low back pain. The objectives are to develop and evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of these interventions, and to examine factors such as age and gender on implementation and adherence. It consists of an interventional proof-of-concept pilot study with 45 participants randomly divided into 3 groups: an interactive physical activity group, a pre-recorded video physical activity group, and a control group. Assessments will be conducted at weeks 0 and 12 to measure pain intensity with the Canadian adaptation of the National Institutes of Health minimal dataset for chronic low back pain.

Full description

Technology-based interventions, specifically web-based platforms, have been used during the pandemic and, to a lower extent, prior to it, to maintain and improve physical and mental health while avoiding physical contact and therefore, risk of contagion, but also facilitating access to services such as psychotherapy or rehabilitation. Specifically, remote interventions have shown to be effective in the management of symptoms of people with chronic musculoskeletal pain, including chronic low back pain (CLBP). The objectives are to develop and evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of these interventions, and to examine factors such as age and gender on implementation and adherence, as well as to validate the effectiveness of the interventions in improving CLBP outcomes and compare the effects of two different modalities of remote intervention (interactive and pre-recorded videos) against a waitlist control group.

The study is an interventional proof-of-concept pilot study. Participants will be 45 people with CLBP aged 18 to 80 years who are able to consent, have no contraindication to physical activity, and can communicate, read, and understand French. Participants will be randomly divided into 3 groups: an interactive physical activity group, a video physical activity group, and a control group. Recruitment will be done from participant pools of the Quebec Pain Research Network, the Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal (CRIUGM), the Association Québécoise de la Douleur Chronique, and former participants of the laboratory's research projects. The intervention will last 12 weeks and consist of 3 physical activity sessions per week for the intervention groups. The interactive group sessions will be live via Zoom and the video sessions will consist of be pre-recorded videos. The control group will be instructed to continue their lifestyle habits throughout the study.

Assessments will be conducted at weeks 0 and 12 via videoconference, telephone or lime-survey format to measure physical health, mental health, lifestyle, and quality of life. It will also evaluate the feasibility and adherence of the interactive or video technology. The study will also take into account age, gender and baseline pain intensity as potential confounding factors, by introducing them as covariates. We will use ANOVAs to compare the effects of the intervention on the variables of interest between groups. The primary variable will be pain intensity from the National Institutes of Health minimum dataset for chronic low back pain. Other variables form this dataset will be explored as secondary outcomes, along with variables related to physical performance. The study aims to recruit 60 participants, with a 25% dropout rate, to have a sample size of 45 participants completing the project in order to detect a small effect size.

Enrollment: 57 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 80 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Diagnosis of chronic low back pain, lasting for more than 6 months
• To have an internet connection and access to a computer with webcam or tablet
• To be able to follow a physical activity program

Exclusion criteria

• Being under 18 years of age or over 80 years of age
• A history of psychiatric or neurological illness
• Presentation of neuropathic signs (radiating pain that spreads to the knee and leg (http://www.physio-pedia.com/Red_Flags_in_Spinal_Conditions)

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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57 participants in 3 patient groups

Interactive

Experimental group

Description:

The sessions will be given in groups of 5 to 10 people and will be interactive via Zoom (link will be sent to them by email). They will last 1h30min and will consist of 60min of physical activity, preceded and followed by 15 optional minutes of virtual social interaction with the kinesiologist and the other members of the group. Finally, if the participants are unable to attend the group session, a video of the course given will be available for them to follow afterwards via a website.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Interactive physical exercise

Video

Experimental group

Description:

The sessions will be done individually without interaction via pre-recorded videos. The videos demonstrate specific classes provided to the patients in this arm by a kinesiologist. Participants will be able to contact the kinesiologist by phone or email to ask questions about the sessions. The sessions will last 1h30min.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Video physical exercise

Control

No Intervention group

Description:

The control will be instructed to continue their lifestyle habits throughout the study. These participants will not receive any intervention until their outcome measures at baseline and follow-up are recorded. At this point their participation is completed and they will be offered one of the two physical exercise programs. Therefore, this arm will be acting like a waitlist group.