ArticleJMIR mHealth and uHealth2022
mHealth Apps for Low Back Pain Self-management: Scoping Review.
Article in JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 44 citations in OpenAlex.
- mHealth applications to enhance physical therapy outcomes among adults with chronic non-cancer pain: a scoping review.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2026Pooled it
- Evaluation of Patient-Facing Mobile Apps to Support Physiotherapy Care: Systematic Review.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2024Pooled it
- Meta-analysis of KAP toward COVID-19 in Chinese residents.Frontiers in public health · 2024Pooled it
- Low back pain self-management mobile applications: a systematic review on digital platforms.Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da U S P · 2024Pooled it
- Mobile technologies for rehabilitation in non-specific spinal disorders: a systematic review of the efficacy and potential for implementation in low- and middle-income countries.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2023Pooled it
- Efficacy of mHealth Interventions for Improving the Pain and Disability of Individuals With Chronic Low Back Pain: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2023Pooled it
- Digital self-care in the management of spine musculoskeletal disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Revista latino-americana de enfermagem · 2023Pooled it
- Patient-targeted smartphone applications for pain management: A review of brazilian app markets.Brazilian journal of physical therapyPooled it
- Evaluation of the Impact of a Smartphone App on Adherence to an Exercise Program in People With Chronic Low Back Pain: Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2026Trial
- Efficacy of a Mobile Multidisciplinary Digital Therapeutics App for Patellofemoral Pain: Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2025Trial
- Supporting self-management with an internet intervention for low back pain in primary care: a RCT (SupportBack 2).Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2025Trial
- The Added Value of Face-to-Face Supervision to a Therapeutic Exercise-Based App in the Management of Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Trial
- Trial
- Mobile App-Supported Self-Management for Chronic Low Back Pain: Realist Evaluation.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2026Article
- Innovative mHealth for addressing low back pain-related factors amongst lower-limb amputees: A quasi-experimental.African journal of disability · 2026Article
- Psychological risk factors and resources for low back pain intensity and back health in daily life: An ecological momentary assessment study.Applied psychology. Health and well-being · 2025Article
- A multicenter trial-based economic evaluation of a mobile health intervention for individuals with chronic non-specific low back pain: randomized controlled trial protocol.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2025Article
- "My Back Exercise App"-mHealth for Low Back Pain: Development and Usability Testing.Journal of healthcare informatics research · 2025Article
- Self-Efficacy, Self-Management and Use of Smartphone Apps for Low-Back Pain.Pain research & management · 2025Article
- Exploring the Needs of People With Chronic Low Back Pain and Health Care Professionals for mHealth Devices to Support Self-Managed Physical Activity and Pain: User-Centered Design Approach.JMIR human factors · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe role of self-management in health promotion, as well as prevention and rehabilitation, is increasing through the use of mobile health (mHealth) apps. Such mHealth apps are also increasingly being used for self-management of low back pain (LBP), but their effectiveness has not been sufficiently explored.
objectiveThe aim of this scoping review was to provide an overview of the literature on self-management mHealth apps and their effects on the levels of pain and disability in people with LBP.
methodsWe applied the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) methodology, including a priori research questions. A literature search was conducted in 2 databases (PubMed and PEDro) for studies published between January 1, 2015, and June 17, 2021. Interventional, cohort, or case series studies with an interventional period were included if the mHealth app included built-in self-management content, the app was used for self-management for people with LBP, and the study reported outcomes regarding pain and disability in people with LBP.
resultsIn total, 7 studies were selected for the review with overall 2307 persons with LBP, of whom 1328 (57.56%) were women. Among the studies (5/7, 71%) that reported the type of pain, 85% (390/459) of the participants were experiencing chronic LBP. A total of 5 different mHealth apps were identified, of which 4 contributed to a statistically significant reduction in LBP and clinically meaningful changes. Of the 7 studies, 4 (57%) used 4 different assessments for disability, of which 3 (75%) showed statistically significant improvements in the level of functional ability of participants in the experimental groups using an mHealth app with built-in self-management content for LBP.
conclusionsThis scoping review supports the conclusion that people with LBP may benefit from mHealth apps that provide self-management content. However, the generalizability of the findings is limited because of heterogeneity in the pain characterization of the included participants and the intervention durations. More high-quality studies with longer follow-up periods to investigate personalized mHealth approaches are recommended for LBP self-management.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.