NCT06420596

The Effectiveness of Remote App-assisted Physiotherapy in Patients With Non-specific Low Back Pain (RemotePT)

A Randomised Controlled Trial on the Effectiveness of Remote App-assisted Physiotherapy in Patients With Non-specific Low Back Pain (RemotePT)

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 60 (actual)
• Sponsor: University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The aim of this single-center, observational randomised controlled trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of using Akina Cloud, a remote app-assisted physiotherapy, in managing non-specific low back pain among patients.

Detailed description

In Switzerland, 1.5 million people suffer from low back pain (LBP), which is often the cause of disability. Non-specific LBP is a major cause of high healthcare costs in developed countries and often leads to early retirement. The development of musculoskeletal assessment through remote app-assisted therapeutic home training may be useful for individuals with non-specific LBP, providing initial support for its implementation in primary care in the patient's home. App-supported therapeutic solutions allow healthcare professionals to prescribe and monitor rehabilitation programs remotely. These innovative solutions have the potential to reduce healthcare costs and provide clinical outcomes comparable or even better than conventional physiotherapy, especially for patients in remote areas. Akina Cloud, a digital health application that supports therapeutic exercises in people with musculoskeletal disorders, is the first remote app-assisted therapeutic home training solution available in Switzerland. It provides patients with exercise and educational content and facilitates communication between patients and therapists via the application. The aim of this single-center, observational randomised controlled trial is to show the efficacy of Akina Cloud-mediated physiotherapy in patients with non-specific LBP. Therefore, all enrolled patients receive one prescription of physiotherapy treatment, while patients in the intervention group in contrast to the control group additionally receive the Akina Cloud-mediated physiotherapy. The efficacy of the remote app-assisted physiotherapy through Akina Cloud in regards to reducing the functional disability (primary objective), reducing perceived pain and increasing quality of life (secondary objectives) in comparison to conventional physiotherapy alone is evaluated. The results of the trial will demonstrate whether app-assisted therapeutic home training is promising approach for managing non-specific low back pain, with the potential to significantly impact patient outcomes and healthcare delivery in Switzerland.

Conditions

• Low Back Pain

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Conventional Physiotherapy	Conventional physiotherapy is one prescription of 9 in person physiotherapy sessions (according to FMH Switzerland guidelines). The frequency of the physiotherapy sessions are at the discretion of the treating clinician, but the recommendation is 1 to 2 sessions per week.
DEVICE	Akina Cloud	Akina Cloud is a digital health application that supports therapeutic exercises in people with musculoskeletal disorders. It is the first app-supported physiotherapy solution available in Switzerland.

Timeline

• Start date: 2024-07-12
• Primary completion: 2025-06-19
• Completion: 2025-06-19
• First posted: 2024-05-20
• Last updated: 2026-03-09

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Switzerland