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Personalized and Automated Digital Coaching in People With Non-specific Chronic Low Back Pain

Personalized and Automated Digital Coaching in People With Non-specific Chronic Low Back Pain: a Randomized Controlled Trial Nested in the "ComPaRe" E-cohort

Status
Not yet recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06498271
Acronym
BACK-4P
Enrollment
330
Registered
2024-07-12
Start date
2026-09-01
Completion date
2028-03-01
Last updated
2026-05-06

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

Conditions

Chronic Low Back Pain

Keywords

Chronic low back pain, Digital coaching

Brief summary

The investigators hypothesize that a personalized and automated digital coaching could reduce activity limitations in people with chronic low back pain as compared to usual care

Detailed description

Non-specific low back pain (LBP) is the leading cause of years of life lived with disability worldwide and its burden is growing alongside the increasing and ageing population. LBP is usually treated according to symptoms duration, presence of concomitant radicular pain and of consistent anatomical abnormalities and is defined according to symptoms duration: acute (\< 6 weeks), subacute (6 to 12 weeks) and chronic (\> 12 weeks). The prognosis of acute LBP is excellent, but in 5 to 15% of individuals, LBP becomes chronic. At 6 months, about 10% of individuals with chronic LBP are on sick leave, and at 12 months, 20% report persistent disability. Unfavourable evolution of chronic LBP is characterized by onset and persistence of spine-specific disability in all individuals and work absenteeism in working age individuals. The probability of returning to work is only 20% after 1 year of sick leave and 0% after 2 years. Multidisciplinary rehabilitation that combines education, physical therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy and rehabilitation is usually offered. However, lack of personalization of these programs could affect their efficacy and systematic evaluation suggests their low cost-effectiveness). Current management of non-specific chronic low back pain involves a multidisciplinary approach that typically includes non-opioid analgesics, physical exercise and strength training, education, and cognitive behavioural therapies. Therapeutic interventions such as massage, acupuncture, or spinal manipulation may also be beneficial. The investigators hypothesize that a personalized and automated digital coaching could reduce activity limitations in people with chronic LBP, as compared to usual care. Participants allocated to the experimental group will be invited to download a smartphone application which will appraise their motivation and automatically propose 1) exercises to be performed at home and adapted to their pain levels; 2) audio recordings for pain management; and 3) educational and coaching content adapted to their motivation. In addition, the smartphone application enables users to plan their home exercises.

Interventions

DEVICEPersonalized and automated digital coaching using a mobile application

Participants allocated to the experimental group will be invited to download a smartphone application which will appraise their motivation and automatically propose: 1) exercises to be performed at home and adapted to their pain levels; 2) audio recordings for pain management; and 3) educational and coaching content adapted to their motivation. In addition, the smartphone application enables users to plan their home exercises

Sponsors

Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris
Lead SponsorOTHER
Arthritis Foundation
CollaboratorOTHER
Societe Francaise de Rhumatologie
CollaboratorOTHER
Association Malakoff Médéric Innovation Santé
CollaboratorUNKNOWN
URC-CIC Paris Descartes Necker Cochin
CollaboratorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

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

Inclusion criteria

* Adults aged 18 or over * Having non-specific chronic LBP * Participating in the "ComPaRe" e-cohort * Having provided consent for their data to be used to assess trial eligibility * And to be randomized if eligible * And to, allow their data to be used to evaluate intervention effectiveness without being notified that they are in the control group, if randomized to usual the control group * Having a valid email address * Able to read and write French Having a smartphone functioning with Android acquired after 2020

Exclusion criteria

* No

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Mean change in activity limitations4 monthsFrench version of the self-administered Roland Morris Disability Questionnaires (RMDQ). Higher scores indicate worse function

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Mean change in activity limitations at 12 months after consent12 monthsFrench version of the self-administered Roland Morris Disability Questionnaires (RMDQ). Higher scores indicate worse function
Mean change in the intensity of low back pain at 4 months after consent4 monthsSelf-administered numerical scale with 11 classes incremented by 10 points (0, no pain and 100, maximum pain)
Mean change in the intensity of low back pain at 12 months after consent12 monthsSelf-administered numerical scale with 11 classes incremented by 10 points (0, no pain and 100, maximum pain)
Work absenteeism at 4 months after consent4 monthsNumber of self-reported days off work
Work absenteeism at 12 months after consent12 monthsNumber of self-reported days off work

Countries

France

Contacts

CONTACTChristelle NGUYEN, MD, PhD
christelle.nguyen2@aphp.fr+33 1 58 41 29 45
CONTACTLaetitia PEAUDECERF, PhD
laetitia.peaudecerf@aphp.fr+33 1 58 41 12 13
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORChristelle NGUYEN

Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris

STUDY_DIRECTORFrançois RANNOU, MD,PhD

Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: May 7, 2026