Guido Schmiemann1, Lena Blase2, Christoph Seeber3, Stefanie Joos4, Jost Steinhäuser5, Stefanie Ernst6, Anika Großhennig7, Eva Hummers-Pradier8, Heidrun Lingner9. 1. Group Leader, Department for Health Services Research, Institute for Public Health and Nursing Science, Bremen University, Germany. 2. Medical Student, Centre for Public Healthcare, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany. 3. General Practitioner, Practice Dr. Seeber, Leer, Germany. 4. Professor, Deputy Head of Department, Department of General Practice and Health Services Research University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany ; Head, Department of General Practice, Tübingen, Germany. 5. Professor, Researcher, Department of General Practice and Health Services Research University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany ; Professor, Head of Department of General Practice, Lübeck, Germany. 6. Biometrician, Institute of Biostatistics, Hanover Medical School, Hannover, Germany. 7. Group leader, Institute of Biostatistics, Hanover Medical School, Hannover, Germany. 8. Professor, Director, Department of General Practice and Family Medicine, University of Goettingen, Germany. 9. Group Leader, Centre for Public Healthcare, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Nonspecific low back pain (LBP) is a common reason for accessing primary care. Manual therapy (MT) may be an effective treatment, but data from clinical studies including relevant subgroups and clinical settings are sparse. The objective of this article is to describe the protocol of a study that will measure whether an MT protocol provided by general medical practitioners will lead to a faster pain reduction in patients with nonspecific LBP than does standard medical care. METHODS/ DESIGN: The study is an experimental pre-/postintervention design. The intervention consists of add-on MT treatment by general medical practitioners who have received MT training but are otherwise inexperienced in mobilization techniques. Participating general medical practitioners (n = 10) will consecutively recruit and treat patients before and after their training, serving as their own internal controls. The primary end point is a combined outcome assessing change in pain score over days 0 to 3 and time until pain is reduced by 2 points on an 11-point numeric pain scale and painkiller use is stopped. Secondary outcomes are patients' functional capacities assessed using a questionnaire, amount of sick leave taken, patient satisfaction, and referrals for further treatment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: German clinical trials register: DRKS-ID DRKS00003240.
BACKGROUND: Nonspecific low back pain (LBP) is a common reason for accessing primary care. Manual therapy (MT) may be an effective treatment, but data from clinical studies including relevant subgroups and clinical settings are sparse. The objective of this article is to describe the protocol of a study that will measure whether an MT protocol provided by general medical practitioners will lead to a faster pain reduction in patients with nonspecific LBP than does standard medical care. METHODS/ DESIGN: The study is an experimental pre-/postintervention design. The intervention consists of add-on MT treatment by general medical practitioners who have received MT training but are otherwise inexperienced in mobilization techniques. Participating general medical practitioners (n = 10) will consecutively recruit and treat patients before and after their training, serving as their own internal controls. The primary end point is a combined outcome assessing change in pain score over days 0 to 3 and time until pain is reduced by 2 points on an 11-point numeric pain scale and painkiller use is stopped. Secondary outcomes are patients' functional capacities assessed using a questionnaire, amount of sick leave taken, patient satisfaction, and referrals for further treatment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: German clinical trials register: DRKS-ID DRKS00003240.
Entities:
Keywords:
General practice; Low back pain; Manual therapy
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