Clinical trial NCT06987656: Physiotherapy in Emergency Department for Acute Lumbar Spasm
Official title: The Role of Physiotherapy in the Management of Acute Lumbar Spasm in Emergency Departments: A Retrospective Observational Study
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
Conditions: Acute Low Back Pain
Musculoskeletal Pain
Emergency Care
Keywords: Physiotherapy
Acute Low Back Spasm
Emergency Department
Manual Therapy
Exercise Therapy
Pain Management
Lead sponsor: Duzce University
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Ankara Yildirim Beyazıt University
First posted: 2025-05-23
Enrollment: 100
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 65
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Observational model: COHORT
Time perspective: RETROSPECTIVE
Sampling method: NON_PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: This study will include adult patients aged 18 to 65 who are admitted to the Emergency Department of Düzce University Faculty of Medicine between June 1, 2025, and December 25, 2025, with a diagnosis of non-specific acute lumbar spasm. The study will retrospectively analyze data from electronic medical records to evaluate physiotherapy and pharmacologic treatment outcomes.

Brief summary: This retrospective observational study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of physiotherapy interventions-such as manual therapy, electrotherapy (TENS), and individualized exercise programs-in managing acute lumbar spasm in patients presenting to the emergency department. By analyzing medical records from January to June 2024 at Düzce University Faculty of Medicine, the study will compare outcomes between patients receiving only pharmacological treatment and those receiving additional physiotherapy. Primary outcomes include changes in pain levels (measured by Visual Analog Scale), medication usage, patient satisfaction, and re-admission rates within an 8-week follow-up period. The findings aim to inform the integration of physiotherapy into emergency care protocols for acute lumbar spasm.

Detailed description: This retrospective observational study investigates the role of physiotherapy in managing acute lumbar spasm in emergency department settings. The study will review medical records of 100 patients aged 18 to 65 who presented to Düzce University Faculty of Medicine Emergency Department between January and June 2024 with non-specific acute low back spasm.

Patients will be divided into two groups based on documented treatment: (1) those receiving pharmacological treatment only, and (2) those receiving both pharmacological and physiotherapy interventions. Physiotherapy interventions include spinal mobilization, myofascial release, TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation), and individualized exercise protocols.

Primary outcomes include changes in pain intensity (measured by Visual Analog Scale), medication consumption, re-admission rates within 8 weeks, and overall patient satisfaction. The study also incorporates a cost analysis based on national reimbursement tariffs (SUT) to evaluate the financial impact of integrating physiotherapy into emergency care.

This study does not involve any direct intervention, and data are collected exclusively from existing electronic health records. Ethical approval has been obtained. The findings are expected to guide future protocols involving the integration of physiotherapy into emergency departments in Turkey.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Adults aged between 18 and 65 years
* Presented to the emergency department with non-specific acute lumbar spasm
* No serious pathology on initial evaluation (e.g., infection, malignancy, fracture)
* No contraindications to physiotherapy or physical activity
* Agreed to participate in the study and signed the informed consent (if applicable in prospective cases)

Exclusion Criteria:

* History of chronic low back pain
* Presence of neurological deficits (e.g., paresis, paralysis)
* Diagnosed with serious medical conditions such as infection, malignancy, or spondylodiscitis
* Pregnancy or contraindications related to reproductive health
* History of spinal surgery within the past year
* Cognitive or physical impairments limiting treatment participation

Primary outcomes:
measure: Change in Pain Intensity Measured by Visual Analog Scale (VAS) From Admission to Discharge
timeFrame: VAS score (0-10 scale)
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Level of Patient Satisfaction Recorded at Discharge
timeFrame: At Discharge (within 12 hours of Emergency Department Admission)
Other outcomes:
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Study officials:
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