Such interventions would have the potential to reduce the prevalence of chronic pain in the population .
Although certain risk factors can identify individuals who are most likely to develop chronic pain , few interventions to prevent chronic pain have been identified .
To facilitate the identification of preventive interventions , an IMMPACT meeting was convened to discuss research design considerations for clinical trials investigating the prevention of chronic pain .
We present general design considerations for prevention trials in population s that are at relatively high risk for developing chronic pain .
Active back school: prophylactic management for low back pain. A randomized, controlled, 1-year follow-up study.
STUDY DESIGN A r and omized , controlled , single-center trial with a stratified group design . OBJECTIVE To investigate the secondary prophylactic effect of the Active Back School program on minimizing recurrences of low back pain episodes . SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA The results of back school interventions are controversial . Previous work often used short intervention periods and low doses of practical training . However , studies with the highest method ologic scores have shown the best results , especially when conducted in occupational setting s and coupled with a comprehensive rehabilitation program . METHODS By block r and omization , 19 men and 24 women were allocated to Active Back School , with 18 men and 20 women as control subjects . The Slumps test and number of low back pain episodes during the previous 36 months were used as stratification factors . There were no significant differences between the groups with regard to demographic factors and initially observed variables . Active Back School consisted of 20 lessons over a 13-week period . Each lesson was divided into a 20-minute theoretical part and a 40-minute exercise part . All participants were examined on enrollment , then 5 and 12 months after initiation of the program . Outcome measures were recurrence of low back pain episodes and number of days of sick leave . RESULTS The recurrence of new low back pain episodes was significantly lower ( P < 0.05 ) and the time from inclusion to the first new episode significantly longer ( P < 0.01 ) in the Active Back School group than in the control group . In the Active Back School group , seven participants took sick leave because of low back pain episodes during the first 12 months of follow-up compared with 11 among the control subjects . The number of sick leave days was significantly lower ( P < 0.05 ) in the Active Back School group than in the control group . CONCLUSION Active Back School reduced the recurrence and severity of new low back pain episodes according to results of follow-up examinations performed 5 and 12 months after enrollment
Such interventions would have the potential to reduce the prevalence of chronic pain in the population .
Although certain risk factors can identify individuals who are most likely to develop chronic pain , few interventions to prevent chronic pain have been identified .
To facilitate the identification of preventive interventions , an IMMPACT meeting was convened to discuss research design considerations for clinical trials investigating the prevention of chronic pain .
We present general design considerations for prevention trials in population s that are at relatively high risk for developing chronic pain .