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Effectiveness of Physical Therapy Interventions for Low Back Pain Targeting the Low Back Only or Low Back Plus Hips

The Effect of Physical Therapy Interventions Directed at the Low Back Versus Low Back and Hips for Individuals With a Primary Complaint of Low Back Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT03550014
Enrollment
76
Registered
2018-06-08
Start date
2018-07-02
Completion date
2021-01-14
Last updated
2021-04-01

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Hip Disease, Low Back Pain

Keywords

Low Back Pain, Hip, Physical Therapy

Brief summary

Low back pain (LBP) is the leading cause of disability worldwide and has substantial impacts on pain and function for an individual. Some individuals with LBP seek physical therapy for their condition. The purpose of the study is to determine whether individuals with LBP have improved pain and disability following physical therapy targeting either the low back only or low back plus hip(s).

Detailed description

Often, individuals with LBP also have concurrent impairments in strength and/or range of motion of one or both hips. Physical therapists may or may not decide to treat the concurrent hip impairments for an individual with LBP based on their clinical decision making. Currently, it is unknown which approach leads to superior patient outcomes in terms of pain and disability.

Interventions

PROCEDURELow Back Only

The physical therapy interventions are commonly performed in and may include stretching, strengthening, hands-on techniques, etc. The interventions will only be directed at the lower back. Standard plan of care delivered to participants with low back pain and concurrent hip impairments within scope of licensure.

PROCEDURELow Back+Hip

The physical therapy interventions are commonly performed in and may include stretching, strengthening, hands-on techniques, etc. The interventions will be directed at the lower back and the hips. Standard plan of care delivered to participants with low back pain and concurrent hip impairments within scope of licensure.

Sponsors

University of Newcastle, Australia
CollaboratorOTHER
Temple University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Intervention model description

Participants will be randomized to have receive physical therapy targeting the low back only or low back plus hip(s). Neither the participants or investigators can be blinded during this trial.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Modified Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) ≥ 20% * Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) of ≥ 2 points * Primary complaint of low back pain with at least one hip impairment in one or both hips

Exclusion criteria

* Contraindications to manual therapy * Severe trauma to the lumbar spine or hip(s) in the last 6 weeks * 'Red flag' symptoms including: * Tumor * Metabolic disease * Rheumatoid arthritis or other systemic rheumatologic disorders * Acute fracture * Bowel/Bladder dysfunction * Prolonged history of corticosteroid use * Evidence of central nervous system involvement * Two or more positive neurologic signs consistent with nerve root compression: * Diminished muscle stretch reflexes of lower extremity * Muscle weakness in any lower extremity myotome * Diminished or absent sensation in any lower extremity dermatome * Spinal surgery in the last 6 months * Total Hip Arthroplasty * Currently pregnant or post-partum ≤ 6 months * Osteoporosis * History of cancer within the last 12 months * Inability to understand the English language

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change from baseline on the Modified Oswestry Disability Index (ODI)Baseline, 2 weeks, end of intervention (discharge; an average of 6 weeks), 6 month and 12 monthsThe ODI is a reliable and responsive 10 question condition-specific self-report measure for individuals with LBP. The ODI is scored on a scale from 0% to 100%, higher scores indicating higher levels of disability.
Change from baseline on the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS)Baseline, 2 weeks, end of intervention (discharge; an average of 6 weeks), 6 month and 12 monthsThe NPRS is an 11 point scale (0-10) where the participant is asked to rate their pain intensity at best, worst and average over the last 24 hours. The scale is anchored on the left (score of 0) with the phrase No Pain and on the right (score of 10) with the phrase Worst Imaginable Pain. The NPRS is a valid and reliable assessment of pain severity for individuals with low back pain.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change from baseline on the Patient Acceptable Symptom State (PASS)2 weeks, end of intervention (discharge; an average of 6 weeks), 6 month and 12 monthsThe PASS is a single question designed to determine if an individual considers their current status as 'feeling well'. The PASS question was: Taking into account all the activities you have during your daily life, your level of pain, and also your functional impairment, do you consider that your current state is satisfactory? The participant response with a 'yes' or 'no' answer.
Change from baseline on the Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ)Baseline, 2 weeks, end of intervention (discharge; an average of 6 weeks), 6 month and 12 monthsThe FABQ is a 16-item questionnaire designed to quantify fear and avoidance beliefs in patients with LBP. The FABQ has two sub-scales, a 7-item scale to measure fear-avoidance beliefs about work-related activities (FABQ-W) and a 4-item scale to measure fear-avoidance beliefs about physical activity (FABQ-PA). Each item is scored from 0-6 with possible scores ranging between 0-24 and 0-42 for the physical activity and work subscales, respectively, with higher scores representing increased fear-avoidance beliefs. Recent evidence suggests that the FABQ may be a valuable piece of data for predicting outcomes following intervention in work-related low back pain patients.
Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2)BaselineThe PHQ-2 is a validated two-question screening questionnaire that is used to determine the presence of depressive disorders. Individuals with low back pain that have depressive symptoms tend to have poor outcomes. The two questions are completed by the participant and scored on a 0-3 scale. The scores for both questions are summed with a cut off score of 3 or higher is considered more at risk for the presence of any depressive disorder.
Change from baseline on the Godin Leisure-Time Physical Activity QuestionnaireBaseline, end of intervention (discharge; an average of 6 weeks)The Godin-Shepard Leisure-Time Physical Activity Questionnaire allows for self-reported leisure-time physical activity. It allows the participant to designate the number of times per week that the engage in physical activities that are of varying intensities (strenuous, moderate, mild). The sum of each intensity is then multiplied by their corresponding metabolic equivalent values of 9, 5, and 3, respectively. High total scores provide the frequency and intensity of exercise that an individual participates in on a weekly basis. The questionnaire has been validated for classifying healthy adults into active and insufficiently active categories. A lack of physical activity in leisure times have been associated with increased prevalence of low back pain.
Change from baseline on the Global Rating of Change (GROC)2 weeks, end of intervention (discharge; an average of 6 weeks), 6 month and 12 monthsThe GROC is a 15-point scale that ranges from -7 (a very great deal worse) to zero (about the same) to +7 (a very great deal better). 28 Descriptors of worsening or improving are assigned values from -1 to -6 and +1 to +6 respectively. It has been reported that scores of +4 and +5 are indicative of moderate changes in patient status and scores of +6 and +7 indicate large changes in patient status. This scale will not be administered at baseline evaluation, but at all subsequent time points.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 23, 2026