Telerehabilitation for Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain (TeleBACK Clinical Trial)

Launched by JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · Feb 6, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

The TeleBACK Clinical Trial is researching how effective telerehabilitation, which is physical therapy delivered through video visits, is compared to traditional in-clinic physical therapy for people with chronic low back pain. The study aims to help us understand not only which treatment works better in reducing disability related to back pain but also how patients feel about each option. Researchers will be gathering information from patients and healthcare providers through surveys and interviews to learn about their experiences and any challenges they face in accessing care.

To participate, you should be between the ages of 18 and 75, have had a visit to a primary care doctor in the last 90 days for back pain, and experience moderate to severe pain and disability. If you meet these criteria, you could be randomly assigned to either the telerehabilitation or in-clinic therapy group, both led by trained physical therapists. Over the course of eight weeks, you'll be monitored to see how much your back pain and disability improve. This trial is currently recruiting participants in Maryland and Utah, and it's a great opportunity to contribute to understanding better treatment options for chronic low back pain.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Primary care visit in the past 90 days with an LBP-related ICD-10 diagnosis.
• • At least moderate levels of pain and disability requiring Oswestry score ≥24% and average pain rating ≥ 4/10 points.
• • Meets NIH Task Force2 definition of chronic LBP based on two questions: 1) How long has LBP has been an ongoing problem? and 2) How often has LBP been an ongoing problem over the past 6 months? A response of greater than 3 months to question 1, and "at least half the days in the past 6 months" to question 2 is required to satisfy the NIH definition of chronic LBP.
• • Can speak and understand English or Spanish (Utah sites only).
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Recent history (last 6 months) of lumbar spine surgery.
• • Possible non-musculoskeletal cause for low back pain symptoms (e.g., pregnancy).
• • Evidence of serious pathology as a cause of LBP including neoplasm, inflammatory disease (e.g., ankylosing spondylitis), vertebral osteomyelitis, etc.
• • Neurological disorder resulting in severe movement disorder, or schizophrenia or other psychotic disorder.
• • Knowingly pregnant