Project AdaPT: An Adaptive Physiotherapy Intervention Augmented With a Healthy Mind Training Program for People With Chronic Low Back Pain

Ohio University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Back Pain Lower Back Chronic; Disability Physical

Treatments: Behavioral: Physical therapy

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06351774

21-F-45

Details and patient eligibility

About

In the proposed research, we will elucidate the comparative effectiveness of standalone physiotherapy (PT) vs. PT augmented with a self-guided, app-based Healthy Minds Innovation wellbeing program (PT+HMI) aimed at cultivating awareness, connection, insight, and purpose for people with chronic low back pain (CLBP).

Full description

The overall objective is to primarily elucidate differential changes in CLBP patients administered PT or PT+HMI across physical health domains (back disability, pain interference, actigraphy, gait performance). Secondarily, we will elucidate changes in patient-reported physical health outcomes for early non-responders who go on to receive an adaptive intervention that provides augmented treatment pathways.

Our central hypothesis is that improvements in disability (primary outcome), i.e., responders to PT and PT+Well will be differentially associated with changes in physical activity levels, gait kinematics, psychological flexibility, and fear-avoidance. We further predict that initial non-responders who progress to augmented care will show improvements in the primary outcomes. We will conduct a two-armed RCT with 20 CLBP participants who will receive PT or PT+HMI and test our hypotheses in 3 specific aims. In Aim 1, we will use patient-reported measures of disability and pain interference to elucidate subjective physical health outcomes. In Aim 2, we will use actigraphy to measure physical activity levels, 3D trunk kinematic measures during gait, and a lifting task to reveal movement-based responders. In Aim 3, we will use patient-reported measures for indices of psychological flexibility and healthy emotionality to elucidate mental health processes that correlate with physical health outcomes.

Enrollment: 13 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• A minimum age of at least 18 years; the ability to read and speak English; have visited a health care professional for back pain during the past 90 days with a physician referral for PT; have experienced back pain for at least 3 months duration and for at least ½ days in the past 6 months; and currently experiencing at least moderate back-related disability, which was operationalized as a score of ≥24% (12 out of 50 points) on the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). Participants needed to have smart device access to engage with the HMI app.

Exclusion criteria

• Having undergone lumbar surgery within the past year; an ongoing disability or worker's compensation, or legal claim; informed by their physician the presence of a serious pathology causing their LBP; pregnancy or planning to become pregnant; and having previously received PT for LBP during the prior 6 months.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Sequential Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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13 participants in 2 patient groups

PT

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will receive physiotherapy per clinical practice guideline recommendations for 8 weeks (Phase 1). At week 10, participants will complete the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) to determine their response to treatment. Individuals who report a favorable response to PT, defined by a threshold of improvement of at least 30% in their ODI, will continue with their PT for an additional 8 weeks. Individuals who do not favorably respond to PT will receive the Healthy Minds Innovation (HMI) app for an additional 8 weeks (Phase 2).

Treatment:

Behavioral: Physical therapy

PT+HMI

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will receive physiotherapy per clinical practice guideline recommendations for 8 weeks, in addition to the Healthy Minds Innovation app (Phase 1). At week 10, participants will complete the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) to determine their response to treatment. Individuals who report a favorable response to PT+HMI, defined by a threshold of improvement of at least 30% in their ODI, will continue with their PT+HMI for an additional 8 weeks. Individuals who do not favorably respond to PT+HMI will receive an in-person teacher-guided tai chi session and tai chi videos for guided self-practice for an additional 8 weeks (Phase 2).

Treatment:

Behavioral: Physical therapy