Chronic Low Back Pain: A Multidisciplinary Approach
Condition: Chronic Pain
MeSH terms: Back Pain; Low Back Pain; Chronic Pain
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Introduction: Non-specific chronic low back pain (CLBP) is one of the most frequent causes
      for patient disability and a general recurrent cause for medical consultation with high costs
      to public health. From rehabilitative medicine, physiotherapy is commonly offered. Although
      this treatment is aimed to reduce disability, pain severity and pain-related
      anxiety-depressive symptoms, many patients report partial improvement and recurrent intensive
      and disabling pain episodes. Therefore, a new approach in the treatment and rehabilitation of
      this pathology that takes into account psychosocial aspects that might be modulating pain is
      necessary.

      Material and methods: This project aims to assess the efficacy of two complementary
      interventions to standard physical therapy, such as relaxation techniques and
      cognitive-behavioral intervention, to improve health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among
      patients with CLBP. It is hypothesized that groups receiving these complementary
      interventions will significantly improve their adherence to physiotherapy and the control of
      their pain and, ultimately, these aspects will facilitate a decreasing of pain intensity and
      better HRQoL.

      For these purposes, a pre-post longitudinal design will be carried out, with follow-up
      assessments at 6 and 12 months in a sample of 66 participants. This sample will be divided
      into: control group (physiotherapy), intervention group 1 (physiotherapy and relaxation
      techniques-sophrology) and intervention group 2 (physiotherapy and cognitive-behavioral
      intervention).

      Expected impact: Study results are not available yet. However, if working hypotheses are
      confirmed, a multidisciplinary model of care for CLBP will be empirically justified. This
      approach is expected to benefit HRQoL among these patients implying a significant short-mid
      term reduction of public health costs.
    


Intervention name(s): Physiotherapy; Intervention 1; Intervention 2
Intervention type(s): Other; Other; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Physical therapy exercise program for CLBP patients. Its goal is to reduce pain and improve patients' health-related quality of life, functional capacity and well-being.; Relaxation techniques-sophrology consists of a set of physical and relaxation exercises that include breathing methods, visualization, modification of states of consciousness, etc. with the goal to enhance balance between body and mind to improve health-related quality of life, reduce pain and foster patients' well-being.; Cognitive-behavioral therapy (in combination with motivational interviewing principles) is aimed to facilitate psychological adjustment and self-management of CLBP with the ultimate goal of increasing patients' health-related quality of life and well-being.
Other intervention name(s): Treatment as usual (TAU); Relaxation techniques-sophrology; CBT
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Supportive Care
Keywords: non-specific chronic low back pain,; health-related quality of life,; physioterapy,; sophrology,; cognitive-behavioral therapy,; motivational interviewing