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NCT Number: NCT04783454

Preventing Neck & Back Pain in Teleworking Office Workers: a Randomized Controlled Trial

The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of a general training program and educational session to prevent neck and/or low back pain in desktop workers

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Key information

Conditions

Neck Pain Back Pain Low Back Pain Neurologic Manifestations Pain Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms

Age range

18 year–69 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

About this study

After being informed about the study and potential risks, all subjects that met the preset inclusion criteria and gave written informed consent to participate will be randomized into an intervention or control group in a 1:1 ratio. Next, subjects of both groups will undergo baseline testing (online survey). The subjects of the intervention group receive a single educational video (online) and are motivated to follow 2 training sessions of 60 minutes each, during 12 consecutive weeks. Instructions for the specific exercises are provided via an online platform. The subjects of the control group are instructed to maintain their normal working activities and activities of daily life and receive no further intervention. Subjects of both groups are prompted to fill out a weekly online logbook to gather information on their physical activity and neck and/or back complaints. All subjects undergo post-intervention testing at 12 weeks (short term effects), 6 months, and 12 months (long term effects).

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • age between 18-69 years
  • perform regular desktop work (at least 20 hours/week)
  • perform desktop work for at least 1 year (employee or student)

Exclusion criteria

  • documented structural neck- and/or back pathology (confirmed by medical imaging)
  • known shoulder or vestibular pathology
  • whiplash-associated disorders
  • history of surgery in the neck, shoulder, hip, and/or back area
  • (history of) chronic pain condition
  • serious headache
  • serious cardiovascular/metabolic/systemic/neurological conditions
  • chronic fatigue syndrome
  • fibromyalgia
  • psychiatric conditions or history of serious depression
  • serious catastrophizing thoughts
  • pregnancy or delivery in the past year

Treatment and study plan

exercise program

Other

educational video on training program design and healthy lifestyle 24 training sessions (12 on cardiovascular endurance training, 12 on mobility and strength)

Primary outcomes

  1. neck pain

    Time frame: 1 year

    Did you develop neck pain (YES or NO)

  2. low back pain

    Time frame: 1 year

    Did you develop low back pain (YES or NO)

Secondary outcomes

  1. behavioral change

    Time frame: 1 year

    Tendency to remain physically active (PA) during working hours as compared to before your participation in this study (Likert-type scale: not at all PA - slightly less PA - equally PA - slightly more PA - clearly more PA)

  2. physical activity (Baecke Questionnaire)

    Time frame: 1year

    physical activity measurement (activities are scored on a scale of 1-5 with the total scored from 3-15. the lower the score, the less physically active)

  3. time to exposure

    Time frame: 1year

    amount of desktop work (hours/week)

  4. global perceived effect

    Time frame: 1year

    What is your global perceived effect of the intervention program (NRS - score/100)

  5. use of (pain) medication and/or (para)medical care

    Time frame: 1year

    use of (pain) medication and/or (para)medical care (name, dosage/frequency, effect, prescribed or direct acces)

  6. Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21 questionnaire)

    Time frame: 1year

    fear, depressive mood, and stress due to COVID-19 crisis and confinement (21 items, Each item is scored from 0 to 3 and is doubled so the global ISI score ranges from 0 to 42)

  7. 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36 questionnaire)

    Time frame: 1year

    quality of life during confinement and telework (item scores are summed to scale scores and transformed into a hundred point scale; scores are transformed so that a higher score indicates better health status)

  8. Insomnia severity index (ISI questionnaire)

    Time frame: 1year

    quality of sleep during confinement and telework (7 items, Each item is scored from 0 to 4 and the global ISI score ranges from 0 to 28)

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University Ghent

Other

Registry information

Acronym: Prevent@HOME

Important dates

Study start
2020
Primary completion
2028
Study completion
2028
First posted
Mar 5, 2021
Registry last updated
Nov 18, 2023

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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