ED Physical Therapy for Acute Low Back Pain

Not Applicable

Active, not recruiting

• Conditions: Low Back Pain
• Interventions: Other: Usual Care; Other: ED Physical Therapy

• Registration Number: NCT04921449
• Lead Sponsor: Northwestern University

Brief Summary

Emergency department (ED)-initiated physical therapy is a rapidly growing resource and represents a promising treatment approach to low back pain. This clinical trial will evaluate an innovative model of an emergency department "embedded" physical therapist to treat patients with acute low back pain, with a focus on improving patient functioning and reducing opioid use.

Detailed Description

Low back pain represents a significant health care burden in the United States and accounts for nearly four million emergency department (ED) visits per year. In nearly two thirds of these visits, an opioid medication is administered or prescribed, making low back pain the most common reason for which opioids are prescribed. Despite this aggressive medication-based approach, patient outcomes after an ED visit for back pain remain poor: after three months, nearly half of all patients report persistent functional impairment, and one in five patients report continued opioid use.

ED-initiated physical therapy (ED-PT) is a promising new resource to improve patient care for low back pain. A growing number of EDs now have dedicated physical therapists that evaluate and treat patients through a combination of education, prognostic guidance, and early mobilization and exercise. Preliminary data indicate that patients receiving ED-PT, compared to usual care, report more rapid functional improvement and use fewer opioids. However, these observational data are limited by biases in treatment selection due to physician discretion in which patients receive ED-PT, as well as other measured and unmeasured confounders.

To more rigorously evaluate the efficacy of ED-PT for acute low back pain, the investigators will conduct a single-center physician-randomized trial of an embedded physical therapy intervention (NEED-PT) versus usual care in ED patients with acute low back pain, comparing a primary outcome of pain-related functioning and a secondary outcome of opioid use at the primary endpoint of three months.

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2021-05-18
• Study First Submitted QC: 2021-06-09
• Study First Posted: 2021-06-10
• Study Start: 2021-07-12
• Primary Completion: 2024-10-03
• Status Verified: 2025-02
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-02-20
• Last Update Posted: 2025-02-24
• Study Completion: 2025-07

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 360

Inclusion Criteria

• Age ≥ 18 years
• Low back pain (originating between 12th rib and buttocks)
• Symptom duration ≤ 30 days (current episode)
• Evaluated by a physician randomized to either study arm
• Evaluated when ED physical therapy is available (e.g., Mon-Fri, 8am-4pm)
• Likely to be discharged home (based on physician assessment)
• Ability to complete follow-up data collection electronically or by telephone
• English-speaking

Exclusion Criteria

• Chronic low back pain or prior lumbar surgery
• Serious red-flag signs/symptoms (bladder/bowel incontinence, saddle anesthesia, debilitating motor weakness)
• Obvious non-musculoskeletal etiology for low back pain (e.g., shingles, kidney stone)
• Other concomitant injuries or pain (e.g., closed head injury, shoulder pain)
• Unable to ambulate at baseline
• Known pregnancy, under police custody, unable to consent

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Usual Care	Usual Care	Usual care consists of any ED testing or treatment not involving an ED physical therapist in accordance with the treating physician's usual and customary practice. This could include diagnostic imaging, patient education and reassurance, and administration and/or prescribing of analgesic medications.
Embedded ED Physical Therapy (NEED-PT)	ED Physical Therapy	An ED physical therapist will be embedded with the primary treatment team to evaluate patients presenting with low back pain at the beginning of the overall treatment course. The physical therapist will utilize a clinical protocol (NEED-PT) that matches the patient's history and exam findings to an appropriate treatment classification consisting of directional preference exercises, manual traction, stabilization exercises, non-thrust manipulation/mobilization, and/or psychologically informed rehabilitation. The NEED-PT intervention will supplement any usual care performed by the treating physician.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
PROMIS Pain Interference (PROMIS-PI)	Three months after the index ED visit.	PROMIS-PI measures the self-reported consequences of pain on relevant aspects of a person's life, including social, cognitive, emotional, physical, and recreational activities. We will use the computer-adaptive format to minimize respondent burden. Scores are standardized to the general U.S. population, with a score of 50 representing the population mean. The time frame of interest for the PROMIS-PI is "in the past 7 days," meaning that participants provide responses based on their symptoms over the last week.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Modified Oswestry Disability Index (ODI)	Three months after the index ED visit.	The ODI contains 10 questions relating to low back pain intensity, personal care, lifting, walking, sitting, standing, sleeping, social life, traveling, and employment/homemaking. The ODI score ranges from zero (no disability) to 100 (maximum disability). The time frame of interest for the ODI is "today," meaning that participants provide responses based on their current symptoms on the day of survey response. The modified ODI replaces an item from the original ODI pertaining to sex life with a new item pertaining to employment/homemaking.
Patient-Reported Opioid Use in Last 24 Hours	Three months after the index ED visit.	Patient-reported opioid use will be collected using a customized instrument assessing whether participants have taken any opioid medication in the last 24 hours (binary yes/no). The 24-hour timeframe was selected to maximize accuracy in patient recall and has been used previously. In brief, opioid medications are listed by brand and generic names; a "yes" response to any medication triggers an additional query asking the participant to specify the medication dose (e.g., oxycodone 10mg) and quantity (e.g., four pills), allowing for standardization by morphine milligram equivalents.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Northwestern Memorial Hospital; 🇺🇸 Chicago, Illinois, United States