Cognitive Functional Therapy Compared With Pilates in Elderly Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain

NCT ID: NCT05480982

Last Updated: 2023-11-29

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

200 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2022-09-02

Study Completion Date

2025-09-30

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

There is evidence of three randomized controlled trials that face-to-face CFT reduces disability compared with active interventions for adults with chronic low back pain. The pandemic enabled the popularization of tele rehabilitation around the globe, but there are still no clinical trial testing the effectiveness of Cognitive Functional Therapy (CFT) via tele rehabilitation for elderly people with chronic low back pain. The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of CFT compared with Pilates, both via tele rehabilitation in elderly patients with chronic low back pain.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

This will be a parallel-group randomized controlled trial with intention to treat analysis conducted via tele rehabilitation in Brazil. Two hundreds elderly people with chronic low back pain (except low risk on STartback screening tool) will be randomized to receive CFT (2 individualized sessions and 4-8 group sessions) or group Pilates (6-10 sessions) up to 12 weeks treatment. Participants will be assessed at baseline, post-intervention (12 weeks) 24 and 48 weeks after randomization. The trial will include cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analyses. Data of quality of life, healthcare costs, patient and family costs, and absenteism costs will be collected. The cost-effectiveness analysis will be performed using disability and pain intensity as outcomes. Costs and quality-adjusted life years will be used to calculate cost-utility.

Three qualitative studies will be conducted during the trial. The first will be performed by means of the interviews with a subsample of the participants before randomization. The aim will be to investigate how elderly people with chronic low back pain perceive their condition. The second will be performed by means of the analysis of a subsample of video recordings of CFT treatments. The aim will be to investigate the narratives of elderly people with chronic low back pain during CFT treatment sessions. The third will be performed after the last follow up by means of an interview with a subsample of participants that received CFT treatment. The aim will be to investigate the perceptions of elderly people with chronic low back pain about the impact of CFT via telerehabilitation.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Low Back Pain

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Randomized controlled clinical trial with allocation of two parallel groups
Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Investigators
The assessors were not considered blinded because participants were not blinded and outcomes were self-reported. However, to guarantee that the treatment expectation was evenly balanced between the groups and decrease measurement bias, the participants did not know the study hypothesis, and the assessors did not know the participant's intervention group. The statistician was blinded to the group allocation.

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Cognitive functional therapy (CFT) via tele rehabilitation

Cognitive Functional Therapy (CFT) is a physiotherapy-led intervention which has evolved from an integration of foundational behavioral psychology and neuroscience within the physiotherapy practice directed at the multidimensional biopsychosocial nature of low back pain. The clinical journey is adapted to the individual's profile following three main components: (i) making sense of pain, (ii) exposure with control and (iii) lifestyle changes.

The first 2 one-hour treatment sessions of CFT will be delivered individually and via videoconference in a weekly basis. The following one-hour treatment sessions (from 6 to 9 sessions) will be delivered in groups (up to 6 participants). One group booster session will be delivered 20 weeks after randomization

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Cognitive functional therapy via tele rehabilitation

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Participants in the CFT group will be treated by a physiotherapist with seventeen years of clinical experience and that has attended six CFT workshops with three of the international tutors of the method. She has completed 212 hours of training including workshops, patient examinations and a pilot study under the supervision of a physiotherapist with more than seven years of clinical experience in CFT. Another two physiotherapists, one with more than fifteen years and the other with more than ten years of clinical experience, and both with more than 106 hours of CFT training including CFT via tele physiotherapy, will complete the staff.

Pilates

Participants in the comparison group will receive Pilates method using classic principles and exercises recommended by Joseph Pilates. No specific accessories or equipment will be used, allowing the exercises to be performed under any circumstances. Based on Pilates, 10 exercises were selected: Leg Pull Front, One Leg Circle, One Leg Kick, One leg stretch, Shoulder bridge, Side bend, Spine Stretch , Swimming, The hundred and The Saw. The main objective of the exercises is to improve physical capacities, including mobility, flexibility, muscle strength and activation of the "power house" center of force, with the therapeutic aim of a positive evolution of chronic non-specific low back pain. The one-hour sessions will be delivered once a week. Participants will be instructed to perform the set of exercises once a week without the supervision of the physiotherapist. The number of group sessions (up to 6 participants) will vary between 8 to 12.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Pilates via tele rehabilitation

Intervention Type OTHER

Physiotherapist will have the freedom to judge about the exercises´ progression and the need of adaptation considering both the level of difficulty to perform each exercise according to the original proposal and the individual´s demands. The treating physiotherapists will have at least 2 years of clinical practice in Pilates and clinical experience in Pilates via teleconference.

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

Cognitive functional therapy via tele rehabilitation

Participants in the CFT group will be treated by a physiotherapist with seventeen years of clinical experience and that has attended six CFT workshops with three of the international tutors of the method. She has completed 212 hours of training including workshops, patient examinations and a pilot study under the supervision of a physiotherapist with more than seven years of clinical experience in CFT. Another two physiotherapists, one with more than fifteen years and the other with more than ten years of clinical experience, and both with more than 106 hours of CFT training including CFT via tele physiotherapy, will complete the staff.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Pilates via tele rehabilitation

Physiotherapist will have the freedom to judge about the exercises´ progression and the need of adaptation considering both the level of difficulty to perform each exercise according to the original proposal and the individual´s demands. The treating physiotherapists will have at least 2 years of clinical practice in Pilates and clinical experience in Pilates via teleconference.

Intervention Type OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* A main complaint of pain in the area between the 12th rib and buttock crease with or without accompanying non-radicular leg pain;
* Episode of ongoing low back pain for at least 12 weeks' duration;
* Presenting to a primary care clinician at least 6 weeks ago for this episode of LBP;
* Being able to walk independently (with or without aids);
* Ability to understand Portuguese well enough to be able to fill in the questionnaires.
* Medium or high risk score on STartback screening tool.

Exclusion Criteria

* Known or suspected red flag disorders like fracture, malignancy/cancer, cauda equina syndrome or progressive neurological disorder, inflammatory or infective diseases of the spine;
* Suspected radicular pain (dominant leg pain, positive neural tissue provocation tests and/or any two of altered strength, reflexes or sensation for the same nerve root, assessed clinically);
* Spinal surgery \< 6 months previously;
* Invasive procedures for pain relief (ex: epidural injection, rhizotomy) in the last three months;
* Scoliosis (if considered the primary cause of pain);
* Unstable heart conditions;
* Chikungunya or Dengue virus disease transmitted by mosquitoes;
* Relevant cognition deficit measured by 10 point cognitive screener, with a cut-off point of less than 8 points, 18 for participants with elementary education, and 26 for participants with secondary and/or higher education;
* Post Covid-19 sequelae of pain.
Minimum Eligible Age

65 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

Centro Universitário Augusto Motta

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Ney Meziat-Filho, PhD

Role: STUDY_DIRECTOR

Centro Universitario Augusto Motta - UNISUAM

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

Centro Universitário Augusto Motta

Rio de Janeiro, , Brazil

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

Brazil

Central Contacts

Reach out to these primary contacts for questions about participation or study logistics.

Jessica Fernandez, PhD Student

Role: CONTACT

+5521988778037

Ney Meziat-Filho, PhD

Role: CONTACT

+5521998051386

Facility Contacts

Find local site contact details for specific facilities participating in the trial.

Ney Meziat-Filho, PhD

Role: primary

+55 21 998051386

References

Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.

O'Keeffe M, O'Sullivan P, Purtill H, Bargary N, O'Sullivan K. Cognitive functional therapy compared with a group-based exercise and education intervention for chronic low back pain: a multicentre randomised controlled trial (RCT). Br J Sports Med. 2020 Jul;54(13):782-789. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2019-100780. Epub 2019 Oct 19.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 31630089 (View on PubMed)

Castro J, Correia L, Donato BS, Arruda B, Agulhari F, Pellegrini MJ, Belache FTC, de Souza CP, Fernandez J, Nogueira LAC, Reis FJJ, Ferreira AS, Meziat-Filho N. Cognitive functional therapy compared with core exercise and manual therapy in patients with chronic low back pain: randomised controlled trial. Pain. 2022 Dec 1;163(12):2430-2437. doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002644. Epub 2022 Apr 4.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 35384931 (View on PubMed)

Belache FTC, Souza CP, Fernandez J, Castro J, Ferreira PDS, Rosa ERS, Araujo NCG, Reis FJJ, Almeida RS, Nogueira LAC, Correia LCL, Meziat-Filho N. Trial Protocol: Cognitive functional therapy compared with combined manual therapy and motor control exercise for people with non-specific chronic low back pain: protocol for a randomised, controlled trial. J Physiother. 2018 Jul;64(3):192. doi: 10.1016/j.jphys.2018.02.018. Epub 2018 Jun 11.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 29903598 (View on PubMed)

Caneiro JP, Smith A, Bunzli S, Linton S, Moseley GL, O'Sullivan P. From Fear to Safety: A Roadmap to Recovery From Musculoskeletal Pain. Phys Ther. 2022 Feb 1;102(2):pzab271. doi: 10.1093/ptj/pzab271.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 34971393 (View on PubMed)

Fernandez J, Ferreira AS, Castro J, Correia LCL, Meziat-Filho N. Comment on the paper "Cognitive functional therapy in patients with non specific chronic low back pain", by Vibe Fersum et al. Eur J Pain. 2019 Sep;23(8):1574-1575. doi: 10.1002/ejp.1441. Epub 2019 Jun 26. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 31190411 (View on PubMed)

Miki T, Kondo Y, Kurakata H, Buzasi E, Takebayashi T, Takasaki H. The effect of cognitive functional therapy for chronic nonspecific low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Biopsychosoc Med. 2022 May 21;16(1):12. doi: 10.1186/s13030-022-00241-6.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 35597961 (View on PubMed)

Vibe Fersum K, O'Sullivan P, Skouen JS, Smith A, Kvale A. Efficacy of classification-based cognitive functional therapy in patients with non-specific chronic low back pain: a randomized controlled trial. Eur J Pain. 2013 Jul;17(6):916-28. doi: 10.1002/j.1532-2149.2012.00252.x. Epub 2012 Dec 4.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 23208945 (View on PubMed)

American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. Exercise and physical activity for older adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1998 Jun;30(6):992-1008.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 9624662 (View on PubMed)

Kent P, Mirkhil S, Keating J, Buchbinder R, Manniche C, Albert HB. The concurrent validity of brief screening questions for anxiety, depression, social isolation, catastrophization, and fear of movement in people with low back pain. Clin J Pain. 2014 Jun;30(6):479-89. doi: 10.1097/AJP.0000000000000010.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 24281277 (View on PubMed)

GBD 2016 Disease and Injury Incidence and Prevalence Collaborators. Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 328 diseases and injuries for 195 countries, 1990-2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. Lancet. 2017 Sep 16;390(10100):1211-1259. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32154-2.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 28919117 (View on PubMed)

Fernandez J, Lunkes LC, Meziat-Filho N. Biopsychosocial approaches to telerehabilitation for chronic primary musculoskeletal pain: A real possibility for physical therapists, that is here to stay. Braz J Phys Ther. 2022 Jan-Feb;26(1):100350. doi: 10.1016/j.bjpt.2021.04.011. Epub 2021 May 9. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 34001421 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

CFT/PILATES/TELE

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id