NCT01539863

Brief Summary

As low back pain is often a recurrent and sometime persistent problem, research into prevention is important. Chiropractors have traditionally treated patients with maintenance care, which means that patients are seen on a regular basis to prevent recurrences or to stop a persistent problem getting worse. However, it is not known if this has the expected effect. This study will test the effectiveness of the maintenance care approach. Patients with recurrent or persistent low back pain will be treated in accordance with two different models. The first model is the maintenance care model, meaning that chiropractors will see the patient on a regular basis, regardless symptoms. The other model means that patients should be treated patients only when they themselves experience symptoms bad enough to seek care. After one year, it will be possible to see if there has been any difference between the groups in terms of pain, disability, quality of life and total number of treatments over the study period and to investigate if there is any difference in the cost-effectiveness between the two treatment models.Thus, the study hypothesis is that there is no difference between the two models regarding the number of days with pain. This study will be a multi-centre trial, and as part of the study, it will be necessary to formalize a network of research clinics all over Sweden in which participating chiropractors accept to perform complex data collection. This network will then have the expertise and potential to perform future clinical studies together with networks in other countries, allowing large clinical trials across countries.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

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

Enrollment
328

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for not_applicable

Timeline
Completed

Started Mar 2012

Longer than P75 for not_applicable

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

February 22, 2012

Completed
6 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

February 28, 2012

Completed
2 days until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

March 1, 2012

Completed
4.4 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

August 1, 2016

Completed
2 months until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

October 1, 2016

Completed
4.4 years until next milestone

Results Posted

Study results publicly available

March 12, 2021

Completed
Last Updated

October 16, 2023

Status Verified

October 1, 2023

Enrollment Period

4.4 years

First QC Date

February 22, 2012

Results QC Date

January 18, 2021

Last Update Submit

October 2, 2023

Conditions

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Number of Days With Bothersome Low Back Pain

    Participants will report their number of days with bothersome low back pain via text message (SMS) on a weekly basis for 52 weeks.

    12 months

Secondary Outcomes (1)

  • Cost-effectiveness

    12 months

Study Arms (2)

Treatment at regular intervals

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will be scheduled to receive the intervention, maintenance care, i.e. care on a regular basis throughout the study period.Care may consist of manual treatment but also of e.g. advice concerning exercises, ergonomic adaptation and stress management

Other: maintenance care

Treatment as needed

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants will receivethe intervention, i.e.care only when requested by them, i.e. when experiencing a relapse or deterioration

Other: Treatment as needed

Interventions

Participants will receive treatment at regular intervals during the study, a maximum of 12 and a minimum of 4 treatments as decided by the treating chiropractor

Treatment at regular intervals

Participants may never receive treatment, there is no upper limit

Treatment as needed

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years - 65 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • non-specific low back pain \> 30 days previous year
  • non-specific low back pain with previous episodes
  • age 18-65
  • access to a mobile phone
  • knowledge of how to text message
  • proficiency in the Swedish language
  • must rate themselves as "definitely improved" by the 4th visit

You may not qualify if:

  • pregnancy
  • contraindication to spinal manipulative therapy
  • liability issues

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Karolinska Institutet

Stockholm, 171 77, Sweden

Location

Related Publications (5)

  • Eklund A, Palmgren PJ, Jakobsson U, Axen I. Development and evaluation of the MAINTAIN instrument, selecting patients suitable for secondary or tertiary preventive manual care: the Nordic maintenance care program. Chiropr Man Therap. 2022 Mar 17;30(1):15. doi: 10.1186/s12998-022-00424-6.

  • Eklund A, Hagberg J, Jensen I, Leboeuf-Yde C, Kongsted A, Lovgren P, Jonsson M, Petersen-Klingberg J, Calvert C, Axen I. The Nordic maintenance care program: maintenance care reduces the number of days with pain in acute episodes and increases the length of pain free periods for dysfunctional patients with recurrent and persistent low back pain - a secondary analysis of a pragmatic randomized controlled trial. Chiropr Man Therap. 2020 Apr 21;28(1):19. doi: 10.1186/s12998-020-00309-6.

  • Eklund A, Bergstrom G, Bodin L, Axen I. Do psychological and behavioral factors classified by the West Haven-Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory (Swedish version) predict the early clinical course of low back pain in patients receiving chiropractic care? BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2016 Feb 12;17:75. doi: 10.1186/s12891-016-0933-y.

  • Eklund A, Bergstrom G, Bodin L, Axen I. Psychological and behavioral differences between low back pain populations: a comparative analysis of chiropractic, primary and secondary care patients. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2015 Oct 19;16:306. doi: 10.1186/s12891-015-0753-5.

  • Eklund A, Axen I, Kongsted A, Lohela-Karlsson M, Leboeuf-Yde C, Jensen I. Prevention of low back pain: effect, cost-effectiveness, and cost-utility of maintenance care - study protocol for a randomized clinical trial. Trials. 2014 Apr 2;15:102. doi: 10.1186/1745-6215-15-102.

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Low Back Pain

Interventions

Long-Term CareTherapeuticsHealth Services Needs and Demand

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Back PainPainNeurologic ManifestationsSigns and SymptomsPathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Patient CareHealth ServicesHealth Care Facilities Workforce and ServicesHealth Services ResearchHealth PlanningHealth Care Economics and OrganizationsDelivery of Health CareHealth Care Quality, Access, and Evaluation

Results Point of Contact

Title
Ass professor Iben Axén
Organization
Karolinska Institutet

Study Officials

  • Irene Jensen, PhD

    Karolinska Institutet

    STUDY DIRECTOR

Publication Agreements

PI is Sponsor Employee
No
Restrictive Agreement
No

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
DOUBLE
Who Masked
INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
Purpose
PREVENTION
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

February 22, 2012

First Posted

February 28, 2012

Study Start

March 1, 2012

Primary Completion

August 1, 2016

Study Completion

October 1, 2016

Last Updated

October 16, 2023

Results First Posted

March 12, 2021

Record last verified: 2023-10

Locations