The Efficacy of A Smartphone Application in Treating Non-Specific Low Back Pain
Condition: Low Back Pain
MeSH terms: Back Pain; Low Back Pain
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Evaluating the efficacy of a newly developed self-monitored mobile application in reducing
      office workers low back pain.
    

Detailed description: 
      II. Introduction and Hypothesis of the Study:

      Around 12% to 33% of the adult workforce are affected by low back pain (LBP) each year.
      Furthermore 70% to 95% of the adults are predicted to have back pain at least once in their
      lifetime (Van Tulder et al., 2006, Karthikeyan et al., 2013). There are numerus applications
      for self-management of LBP. These applications provided patients with cost-effective
      alternative management for their LBP. However, most of these available applications are of a
      low quality, because they were developed without an evidence-based vision (Machado et al.,
      2016).

      Hypothesis:

        1. All participants who will use the full access of the LBP application for six weeks will
           demonstrate significant decrease in low back pain intensity as measured by Visual
           Analogue Scale (VAS).

        2. All participants who will use the full access of the LBP application for six weeks will
           demonstrate significant decrease in disability as measured by Oswestry Disability Index
           (ODI).

        3. All participants who will use the full access of the LBP application for six weeks will
           demonstrate significant perceptual satisfaction and gained benefit as measured by
           self-rated survey questions.

      III. Aims of the study: This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and compliance in using a
      standardized evidence-based LBP application among office employees who suffer from
      non-specific LBP, in randomized controlled trial.

      IV. Materials and Methods: A smartphone application will be programed to deliver home-based
      exercises and advices targeting LBPP. 30 participants who has LBP, had been at least 5 years
      office worker have a 5 hours of working, will be recruited for a randomized controlled trial,
      participants who have any spine or spinal cord disease will be excluded. Participants will be
      compared according who will get full access to the application for non-specific LBP
      management with those who will get a limited version of the application. Both groups will use
      their versions of the application for 6 weeks, a follow-up will be done after 6 weeks. Visual
      Analog Scale (VAS), will be used to assess intensity of the LBP, and Oswestry Disability
      Index (ODI) will be used to assess the disability that had been caused by LBP. Descriptive
      statistics will be represented in means and standard deviations. Change scores between groups
      (experimental vs control) will be compared using ANCOVA model.
    

Intervention name(s): Smartphone Full version application; Samartphone limited version application
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Android smartphone experimental application include: rehabilitative self-administered evidence-based exercises (Strengthening and stretching), ergonomics, and education related to low back pain. The application includes videos, photos, text, and reminders.; Android smartphone placebo application include: ineffective content that does not help in treating low back pain. The application includes only five posts in the general instruction and advises section about proper nutrition and few irrelevant reminders.
Other intervention name(s): Experimental; Placebo control
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: Randomized controlled trial, double blinded
Masking: Double (Participant, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation; Smartphone application; Occupational Stress