NCT01467843

Brief Summary

Although national expenditures on back pain treatments have increased substantially over the past decade, the health and functional status of persons suffering from back pain has deteriorated. This trial will evaluate the effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness, of a safe and relatively inexpensive "mind-body" therapy that has the potential to provide relief to some of the millions of Americans who continue to suffer from chronic back pain.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
342

participants targeted

Target at P50-P75 for phase_3 low-back-pain

Timeline
Completed

Started Jun 2012

Longer than P75 for phase_3 low-back-pain

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
completed

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

November 7, 2011

Completed
2 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

November 9, 2011

Completed
7 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

June 1, 2012

Completed
3.4 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

November 1, 2015

Completed
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

November 1, 2015

Completed
Last Updated

October 13, 2017

Status Verified

October 1, 2017

Enrollment Period

3.4 years

First QC Date

November 7, 2011

Last Update Submit

October 11, 2017

Conditions

Keywords

Cognitive Behavioral TherapyMindfulness Based Stress Reduction

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

  • Back pain-related dysfunction

    Back-related dysfunction will be measured with the modified Roland Disability Questionnaire ("Roland scale"), which asks whether 23 specific activities were limited due to back pain during the past week (yes or no). This measure has been found to be reliable, valid and sensitive to clinical changes and is appropriate for telephone administration and patients with moderate disability.

    26 weeks

  • Bothersomeness of back pain

    Symptom bothersomeness will be measured by asking participants to rate how "bothersome" their back pain has been during the previous week on a 0 to 10 scale (0 = "not at all bothersome" and 10 = "extremely bothersome"). This question worked well in our previous trials and is highly correlated with a 0-10 measure of pain intensity (r=0.8 to 0.9). It is also highly correlated with measures of function and other outcome measures.

    26 weeks

Study Arms (3)

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants randomized to the CBT intervention will attend eight weekly 2 hour sessions.

Behavioral: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants randomized to the MBSR arm will attend eight weekly 2 hour MBSR sessions.

Behavioral: Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction

Usual Care

NO INTERVENTION

Participants randomized to Usual Care will continue to receive care for their low back pain as prescribed by his/her Primary Care Physician.

Interventions

The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Intervention will be delivered during 8 weekly classes each lasting 2 hours. The classes will be held at a conveniently located Group Health Facility.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

The Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Classes will be delivered in 8 weekly classes each lasting 2 hours.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction

Eligibility Criteria

Age20 Years - 70 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • clinical Diagnosis of Low Back Pain lasting at least 3 months
  • pain of at least 4 on a 0-10 bothersomeness scale

You may not qualify if:

  • do not currently have back pain
  • current back pain episode less then 3 months in duration
  • current back pain is only reported as mild in dysfunction and symptoms (i.e., less than a score of 7 on the 0-23 modified Roland Scale or a bothersomeness score lower than 4 on a 0-10 scale);
  • sciatica
  • underlying systemic or visceral disease
  • pregnancy
  • abdominal aneurisms
  • spondylolisthesis
  • discitis
  • spinal stenosis
  • spinal infections
  • cancer or unexplained weight loss
  • recent vertebral fracture
  • current or past participation in classes or therapies closely resembling our MBSR or CBT interventions for chronic pain
  • have physical problems that won't allow them to do yoga (i.e., gross obesity, severe pain when bending or twisting, unable to get up and down from the floor)
  • +10 more criteria

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Group Health Cooperative

Seattle, Washington, 98101, United States

Location

Related Publications (3)

  • Chen JA, Anderson ML, Cherkin DC, Balderson BH, Cook AJ, Sherman KJ, Turner JA. Moderators and Nonspecific Predictors of Treatment Benefits in a Randomized Trial of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction vs Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy vs Usual Care for Chronic Low Back Pain. J Pain. 2023 Feb;24(2):282-303. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2022.09.014. Epub 2022 Sep 28.

  • Cherkin DC, Sherman KJ, Balderson BH, Cook AJ, Anderson ML, Hawkes RJ, Hansen KE, Turner JA. Effect of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction vs Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or Usual Care on Back Pain and Functional Limitations in Adults With Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2016 Mar 22-29;315(12):1240-9. doi: 10.1001/jama.2016.2323.

  • Cherkin DC, Sherman KJ, Balderson BH, Turner JA, Cook AJ, Stoelb B, Herman PM, Deyo RA, Hawkes RJ. Comparison of complementary and alternative medicine with conventional mind-body therapies for chronic back pain: protocol for the Mind-body Approaches to Pain (MAP) randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2014 Jun 7;15:211. doi: 10.1186/1745-6215-15-211.

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Low Back Pain

Interventions

Cognitive Behavioral TherapyMindfulness-Based Stress Reduction

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Back PainPainNeurologic ManifestationsSigns and SymptomsPathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior TherapyPsychotherapyBehavioral Disciplines and ActivitiesMindfulness

Study Officials

  • Daniel Cherkin, PhD

    Kaiser Permanente

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
phase 3
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
SINGLE
Who Masked
OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

November 7, 2011

First Posted

November 9, 2011

Study Start

June 1, 2012

Primary Completion

November 1, 2015

Study Completion

November 1, 2015

Last Updated

October 13, 2017

Record last verified: 2017-10

Locations