BELOW (feasibility study)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Behaviour change to rEduce LOW back pain: a feasibility study (BELOW)
IRAS ID
331773
Contact name
Stephen Preece
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The University of Salford
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, days
Research summary
The current NHS treatment for people with low back pain (LBP) who are at high risk of long-term problematic symptoms involves a combination of physical exercises and psychological methods. However, the effectiveness of this combined approach is not very strong, partly because many patients prefer physical treatments and are hesitant to engage with the psychological aspects. Additionally, some musculoskeletal physiotherapists believe that current combined treatments lack sufficient "hands-on" guidance.
To address these issues, we have developed a new physiotherapy treatment for LBP called Cognitive Muscular Therapy (CMT). CMT integrates psychological techniques for pain management with training to improve postural control. Unlike traditional strength training, CMT focuses on improving postural control by reducing overactivity of the abdominal and low back muscles, using "hands-on" guidance during treatment. Small sensors are used to visualize muscle activity to facilitate this relearning process. In a small pilot study, 15 people with long-lasting back pain received 7 sessions of CMT and on average, their pain decreased by 77%.
This project, funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) aims to understand if CMT can be developed to form part of the NHS treatment for LBP. The first part of the project involves developing and testing a training programme for physiotherapists. We will use this improved course to train physiotherapists as part of a feasibility study where we will recruit 90 participants with LBP. The participants will be recruited from GP practices, physiotherapy waiting lists and via social media. The participants will be randomised into two groups, treatment group 1 will receive CMT and treatment group 2 will receive psychologically informed physiotherapy. The effectiveness of the treatments will be assessed using pain, function and quality of life questionnaires. Participants in each group will be interviewed about their experiences.
REC name
East of England - Cambridge East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/EE/0135
Date of REC Opinion
28 Jun 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion