The Effect of Secondary Prevention in Patients With Recurrent Low Back Pain

University Ghent

Status: Completed

Conditions: Low Back Pain, Recurrent

Treatments: Behavioral: Pain Neuroscience Education; Other: Exercise therapy

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03852667

EC/GK2017/1508

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study investigates the effect of a secondary intervention program for low back pain in patients with recurrent low back pain. One third of the subject will receive no therapy, one third wil receive 2 sessions of pain neuroscience education (PNE) and one third will receive two sessions of PNE and 5 sessions of exercise therapy over 6 weeks.

Full description

Participants:

60 individuals with recurrent non-specific LBP were recruited through advertisement in sport facilities, social media and among friends and family.

Testing:

The testing was performed before and after a six week period by three blinded 2nd master students of physiotherapy of University of Ghent. The pre and post testing were almost identical and lasted 1 hour, only for the first testing an anamnesis was conducted to evaluate inclusion and exclusion criteria. The identical parts were tests for motor control, muscle performance and psychosocial factors.

Intervention:

The subjects were divided into 3 groups, only group B and C were given treatment. Group B had 2 sessions PNE over a period of two weeks. Group C received 2 sessions of PNE and 5 sessions of exercise therapy over a period of six weeks. Each of the sessions lasted 30 minutes and took place at the clinical practice room at the university of Ghent. Group C began the exercise therapy a week after the second session of PNE.

Enrollment: 76 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 65 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• In remission during testing
• recurrent low back pain (RLBP) >6months
• 2 or more episodes in the past year
• Pain flare of ≥24 hours, characterized by an increase of ≥2 on an Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) scale and/or ≥5 on the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire
• Followed by a pain-free episode of ≥1 month, characterized by a 0/10 on an NRS scale and/or <2 on the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire
• Non-specific RLBP (no cause for Low back pain (LBP); >3y post discus herniation)
• 1 year or more post-natal

Exclusion criteria

• Use of antidepressants or analgesics (except for NSAIDs or paracetamol), taken 2 weeks before the testing
• Neurologic, respiratory, circulatory, or severe orthopedic diseases
• Pregnancy
• Specific LBP causes
• A history of cognitive exercise therapy and/or specific motor control training
• current treatment or new therapies starting <6 weeks before baseline assessment

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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76 participants in 3 patient groups

Control

No Intervention group

Description:

No intervention between the two test sessions

Pain Neuroscience Education

Active Comparator group

Description:

Two sessions (30 min) of Pain Neuroscience Education

Treatment:

Behavioral: Pain Neuroscience Education

Pain neuroscience education - exercise

Experimental group

Description:

2 sessions of PNE and 5 sessions of exercise therapy.

Treatment:

Other: Exercise therapy

Behavioral: Pain Neuroscience Education