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Workplace Exercise Intervention in Administrative Personnel to Reduce Spinal Pain

Not Applicable
Recruiting
Conditions
Sedentary Behavior
Back Pain
Interventions
Behavioral: Therapeutic Exercise Intervention
Registration Number
NCT05571124
Lead Sponsor
Universitat de Lleida
Brief Summary

The goal of this Clinical trial is to compare treatments in sedentary administrative personnel with back pain. The main question it aims to answer:

The benefits of a workplace intervention with therapeutic exercise and pain education compared with only therapeutic exercise intervention

Participants will perform active pauses in their workplace with a web-based program that consists of videos or images of exercises and pain education information.

Researchers will compare a group Therapeutic exercise and pain education intervention with a group therapeutic exercise only to see if pain education plus exercise is a more beneficial intervention in reducing back pain in symptomatic administrative personnel.

Detailed Description

Introduction: Musculoskeletal pathologies are one of the leading causes of disability for the population worldwide, with office workers being one of the most affected groups. This study aims to design and implement a programme of therapeutic exercise and pain education in the workplace to reduce musculoskeletal pathology. The use of therapeutic exercise interventions at work is an economical and feasible option in which it is essential to consider biopsychosocial aspects when designing a successful treatment.

Methods: Mixed methodology study. Phase 1: A qualitative study with a phenomenological approach using semi-structured interviews to determine factors related to office workers' expectations about pain, maintaining static postures at work and implementing active breaks. Phase 2: Implementation of a Randomised Controlled Trial considering current scientific evidence and the results of the first phase with two intervention groups. A group in which therapeutic exercise will be performed at work with pain education, compared to a group implementing only exercise at the workplace.

Discussion: This study is a comprehensive and pragmatic intervention to implement therapeutic exercise in the workplace, considering workers' expectations regarding their pain and the implementation of active breaks. The use of digitalisation in the implementation of therapeutic exercise and pain education in office workers is a feasible and low-cost option. It can improve office workers' quality of life by increasing motivation and adherence to such interventions.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
RECRUITING
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
66
Inclusion Criteria
  • More than 80% of the working day is in a seated position.
  • Workers who have a computer or mobile device with an internet connection.
  • Workers with more than three months of pain in the back area due to a non-specific cause.
Exclusion Criteria
  • Part-time workers.
  • Pathologies that cause chronic pain.
  • Radiculopathies or symptomatic disc herniations/protrusions.
  • Inability to perform low-moderate intensity exercise.
  • People who are active in their daily lives outside of work willing to report that they meet the minimum stipulated by the WHO (a minimum of 10,000 steps per day and 75-150 minutes of vigorous-moderate physical activity per week).
  • Undergoing physiotherapy treatment through public health or a private company.
  • Workers on sick leave or during pregnancy.

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Therapeutic exerciseTherapeutic Exercise InterventionIt consists of implementing active breaks at the workstation through the use of the open source Learning Management System Sakai \[33\], It will be easy to use by the participants due to the platform is used by them in their daily work. Also, an administrative worker from the university will be involved in creating the modules where the content will be allocated to ensure that the navigation in the platform is user-friendly for them.musculoskeletal pathologies with sedentary lifestyles and maintained postures. The type of online application will depend on the results obtained in the qualitative phase, as we will adapt to the workers' preferences to facilitate accessibility to the content and make the experience as satisfactory as possible for them.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Reduction of Back PainChange from baseline back pain at six weeks

The primary outcome to be analysed is back pain using the Visual Analogue Scale, a subjective assessment scale of intensity from 0 to 10, with 0 being "no pain" and 10 being "the worst possible pain".

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Adherence to therapeutic exerciseThrough study completion, an average of six weeks

The percentage of open sessions and total video played of the participant will be analysed by the web analytics.

Health related quality of lifeChange from baseline quality of life at six weeks

Will be analysed using the Spanish version of the EQ-5D-5L quality of life questionnaire which consists of 5 dimensions: mobility, self-care, activities of daily living, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression.

Back pain dysfunctionChange from baseline back pain dysfunction at six weeks

Will be analysed using the Spanish version of the Spine Functional Index, a self-administered questionnaire in which the patient reports the state of his or her back concerning disability and dysfunction in daily activities.

Motivation of performing therapeutic exerciseChange from baseline motivation of performing therapeutic exercise at six weeks

Motivation when performing the therapeutic exercise intervention will be analysed using the Spanish version of the questionnaire: Behavioural Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire-2.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Universitat de Lleida

🇪🇸

Lleida, Catalunya, Spain

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