Abstract
Non-specific low back pain (LBP) is one of the leading causes of global disability. Multidisciplinary pain treatment (MPT) programs comprising educational, physical, and psychological interventions have shown positive treatment effects on LBP. Nonetheless, such programs are costly and treatment opportunities are often limited to specialized medical centers. mHealth and other digital interventions may be a promising method to successfully support patient self-management in LBP. To address these issues, we investigated the clinical effects of a multidisciplinary mHealth back pain App (Kaia App) in a randomized controlled trial (registered at German Clinical Trials Register under DRKS00016329). One-hundred one adult patients with non-specific LBP from 6 weeks to 1 year were randomly assigned to an intervention group or a control group. In the intervention group, the Kaia App was provided for 3 months. Control treatment consisted of six individual physiotherapy sessions over 6 weeks and high-quality online education. The primary outcome, pain intensity, was assessed at 12-week follow-up on an 11-point numeric rating scale (NRS). Our per-protocol analysis showed no significant differences between the groups at baseline (Kaia App group: M = 5.10 (SD = 1.07) vs. control group: M = 5.41 (SD = 1.15). At 12-week follow-up the Kaia App group reported significantly lower pain intensity (M = 2.70 (SD = 1.51)) compared to the control group (M = 3.40 (SD = 1.63)). Our results indicate that the Kaia App as a multidisciplinary back pain app is an effective treatment in LBP patients and is superior to physiotherapy in combination with online education.
Highlights
Non-specific low back pain (LBP), i.e., LBP without a known specific pathoanatomical cause, is a leading contributor to disease burden and disability worldwide, affecting people of all ages.[1,2] More than85% of patients presenting with LBP in primary care settings suffer from non-specific LBP.[3,4] LBP exerts a tremendous socioeconomic impact, e.g., with costs in the United States exceeding $100 billion per year.[5]
Our results indicate that the Kaia App as a multidisciplinary back pain app is an effective treatment in LBP patients and is superior to physiotherapy in combination with online education
Multidisciplinary pain treatment (MPT) programs focusing on physical, psychological, and educational interventions have proved effective in the treatment of subacute and chronic LBP with positive effects on pain intensity and disability.[7,8]
Summary
Non-specific low back pain (LBP), i.e., LBP without a known specific pathoanatomical cause, is a leading contributor to disease burden and disability worldwide, affecting people of all ages.[1,2] More than. Digital interventions and the practice of medical and public health through the use of mobile devices (mHealth) has introduced new opportunities in health care.[10,11] They have been proposed as a promising mode of delivery for self-management support programs and have been shown to effectively improve chronic pain.[12,13] systematic reviews found only weak evidence for beneficial effects of digital interventions in LBP management.[14,15] the analyzed data seemed quite heterogeneous across the included trials. We hypothesized that the patients who were treated with Kaia App would report lower pain intensity after a follow-up period of 12 weeks
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