Effect of a Patient Education Intervention for Patients With Low Back Pain Referred to Physical Therapy
Overview
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Intervention
- Not specified
- Conditions
- Low Back Pain
- Sponsor
- University of Utah
- Enrollment
- 76
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Oswestry Disability Index
- Status
- Completed
- Last Updated
- 10 years ago
Overview
Brief Summary
The purpose of this study is to evaluate patients with low back pain who are scheduled to begin physical therapy but have not yet had their first appointment to better understand their beliefs and attitudes and to evaluate the effects of an educational session about low back pain.
Detailed Description
The investigators will conduct a randomized trial to examine the effectiveness of a patient education session provided prior to beginning physical therapy on outcomes of usual physical therapy for acute/sub-acute low back pain patients. The study compares two groups, one group will be treated with usual physical therapy with no pre-treatment education and the other group will also receive the pre-treatment. Patients will be followed after 6 weeks and 3 months. Physical therapy care is left to the discretion of the physical therapist in conjunction with the patient. Outcomes will include pain and disability, and patients attitude and believes (pain catastrophizing, fear avoidance behavior). The overall hypothesis is that the additional educational treatment may address and improve pain, disability and fear.
Investigators
Julie Fritz
Ph.D.
University of Utah
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- •Chief complaint of non-specific low back pain scheduled to receive outpatient physical therapy
- •age 18-60
- •duration of current symptoms \< 8weeks
- •referred to physical therapy from a non-surgeon provider
- •no treatment received for low back pain in past year other than physician office visits.
Exclusion Criteria
- •Diagnosis provided by the referral source indicating a specific pathoanatomical source for LBP including fracture, spondylolesthesis, ankylosing spondylitis, radiculopathy
- •any red flags in the patient's general medical screening questionnaire (i.e. tumor, metabolic diseases etc.).
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Oswestry Disability Index
Time Frame: 6 weeks
Self-report measure of low back pain-related disability
Pain as measured by the Numeric Pain Rating Scale
Time Frame: 6 weeks
Self-report measure of pain intensity on 0-10 rating scale
Secondary Outcomes
- Oswestry Disability Scale(baseline, 3 months)
- Numeric Pain Rating(baseline, 3 months)
- Fear Avoidance beliefs Questionnaire(baseline, 6 weeks, 3 months)
- Pain Catastrophizing Scale(baseline, 6 weeks, 3 months)
- Pain Beliefs Questionnaire(baseline, 6 weeks, 3 months)
- Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale(baseline, 6 weeks, 3 months)
- Global Rating of Change(6 weeks, 3 months)
- Physical Therapy Visits: Number of physical therapy episodes attended after baseline(6 weeks, 3 months)
- Treatment Self-Regulation Questionnaire(baseline, 6 weeks, 3 months)