The Effectiveness of Remote App-assisted Physiotherapy in Patients With Non-specific Low Back Pain (RemotePT)

In Switzerland, 1.5 million people suffer from low back pain (LBP), which is often the cause of disability. Non-specific LBP is a major cause of high healthcare costs in developed countries and often leads to early retirement.

The development of musculoskeletal assessment through remote app-assisted therapeutic home training may be useful for individuals with non-specific LBP, providing initial support for its implementation in primary care in the patient's home. App-supported therapeutic solutions allow healthcare professionals to prescribe and monitor rehabilitation programs remotely. These innovative solutions have the potential to reduce healthcare costs and provide clinical outcomes comparable or even better than conventional physiotherapy, especially for patients in remote areas.

Akina Cloud, a digital health application that supports therapeutic exercises in people with musculoskeletal disorders, is the first remote app-assisted therapeutic home training solution available in Switzerland. It provides patients with exercise and educational content and facilitates communication between patients and therapists via the application.

The aim of this single-center, observational randomised controlled trial is to show the efficacy of Akina Cloud-mediated physiotherapy in patients with non-specific LBP. Therefore, all enrolled patients receive one prescription of physiotherapy treatment, while patients in the intervention group in contrast to the control group additionally receive the Akina Cloud-mediated physiotherapy. The efficacy of the remote app-assisted physiotherapy through Akina Cloud in regards to reducing the functional disability (primary objective), reducing perceived pain and increasing quality of life (secondary objectives) in comparison to conventional physiotherapy alone is evaluated.

The results of the trial will demonstrate whether app-assisted therapeutic home training is promising approach for managing non-specific low back pain, with the potential to significantly impact patient outcomes and healthcare delivery in Switzerland.

Inclusion criteria

• Age ≥ 18
• Diagnosis of non-specific low back pain (International Classification of Diseases, 10th edition M54.5) with the pain duration of at least 6 weeks
• Low back pain score of >3 out of 0-10, based on the numerical pain rating scale at the time of enrolment
• Ability to provide informed consent and participation in the study
• Prescription for physiotherapy
• German speaking
• Presence of an email address, internet connection and a private laptop as well as being able to use the laptop

Exclusion criteria

• Inpatient pain therapy (red flags)
• History of lumbar spine surgery during the last year
• Known diagnosis of performance-limiting illnesses as psychological disorders, diseases of the cardiovascular system, etc.
• Known pregnancy