NCT07011537

Examining the Impact of a Digital Health Program and TENS Device for Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain

The Hinge Health and ENSO Back Pain Study: Prospective, Open-label, Randomized Superiority Trial of a Digital Health Program and High Frequency Impulse Therapy (HFIT) Versus Standard of Care in Treatment of Chronic Low Back Pain

• Status: Enrolling By Invitation
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 196 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Hinge Health, Inc · Industry
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The goal of this study is to examine the extent to which Hinge Health, a digital musculoskeletal program, and Enso, a wearable pain relief device, have clinically significant impact on the pain, function, and health care use among patients undergoing non-imperative care for chronic lower back pain.

Detailed description

Digital health approaches are a way to deliver conservative therapy through interactive methods. These approaches may expand access to care due to the convenience of digital health, as participants can access care services at all hours and locations. Research has shown that participants of digital health programs show significant improvements in pain. Hinge Health is a digital musculoskeletal (MSK) program that aims to help people manage their MSK pain through exercise, education, and personal coaching. In previous research, Hinge Health has shown improvements in pain, functional, and health care use outcomes. Enso is a portable device for the treatment of chronic and acute types of MSK pain. The electrical pulses delivered by Enso incorporate neuromodulation at high frequency (0.1 to 10 MHz) in addition to the low frequency (0 to 1 KHz) pulses transmitted by more traditional transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) units. The result is a unique mechanism of action compared to the paresthesia resulting from the electrical pulses delivered by traditional TENS devices. Furthermore, Enso has shown promising clinical outcomes in a small, pilot RCT. While the pilot study provided preliminary results demonstrating clinical improvements in the short term, there is a need for evidence about medium to long term outcomes, impact on mood, and the effect on healthcare utilization. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which Hinge Health, with Enso, have clinically significant impact on the pain, function, and health care use among patients undergoing non-imperative care for their chronic lower back pain in the medium and long term.

Conditions

• Back Pain Lower Back Chronic
• Chronic Pain
• Musculoskeletal Pain

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Digital Musculoskeletal (MSK) Program	Hinge Health is a digital MSK program to help participants manage chronic MSK pain through offering exercise therapy sessions, educational articles, and personal health coaching. Hinge Health delivers exercise therapy sessions and education through "playlists" accessed through the program app. Each playlist consists of three to seven exercises specific to the body region(s) the participant experiences pain in. Animations and videos, while paired with sensors and computer vision, demonstrate how to perform exercises, the number of repetitions for each exercise, and how long to hold positions. Playlists present more challenging exercises and/or more repetitions as participants progress further along in the program. After participants complete the exercises, the playlist delivers educational articles and resources focused on MSK pain-related topics, including lifestyle changes, pain neuroscience, and social support.
DEVICE	Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)	The Enso is a strong complement/enhancement to the Hinge Health program, as it helps users to better manage their pain in order to work through their exercise sessions in the program. The Enso device is not intended to be a stand-alone solution; it provides pain relief, but exercise therapy provides important long-term benefits. Participants will use the digital MSK program (Hinge Health) in combination with a pain management device (Enso).
OTHER	Standard of Care (SOC)	The control group will continue to receive the access to traditional medical care for their MSK needs through their healthcare provider. Upon study completion, control group members who complete all follow-up surveys will receive Hinge Health membership and an Enso device for free for 12 months, starting at the conclusion of their participation in the study.

Timeline

• Start date: 2026-01-16
• Primary completion: 2026-06-01
• Completion: 2026-07-01
• First posted: 2025-06-08
• Last updated: 2026-01-23

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States

Regulatory

• FDA-regulated device study