Trial reportBMC musculoskeletal disorders2022
"Back Rx, a personalized mobile phone application for discogenic chronic low back pain: a prospective pilot study".
Trial report in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03040310 (Personalized Back Rx Exercise Program With Coaching, Social Support, and Sensor-assisted Assessments as a Treatment for Discogenic Low Back Pain), which is not on this map. Cited by 9 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
Personalized Back Rx Exercise Program With Coaching, Social Support, and Sensor-assisted Assessments as a Treatment for Discogenic Low Back Pain: A Prospective Pilot Study
Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Engagement in Digital Self-management Interventions for Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review.The Clinical journal of pain · 2025Pooled it
- Impact of 25 Years of Mobile Health Tools for Pain Management in Patients With Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Pooled 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
- Adherence, Acceptability, and Sexual Health Outcomes of the Odeya App-Based Intervention for Sexual Distress in Women With Endometriosis: Randomized Controlled Mixed Methods Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Trial
- Multidisciplinary Digital Therapeutics for Chronic Low Back Pain Versus In-Person Therapeutic Exercise with Education: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Exercise-based telerehabilitation in chronic low back pain - a scoping review.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2024Article
- Article
- Digital Therapeutics (DTx) Expand Multimodal Treatment Options for Chronic Low Back Pain: The Nexus of Precision Medicine, Patient Education, and Public Health.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Digital health in musculoskeletal care: where are we heading?BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIntervertebral disc pathology is the most common identifiable cause of chronic lower back pain (CLBP). There are limited conservative alternatives to treat discogenic axial CLBP. Back Rx is a mobile application (app) developed to treat patients with this condition, following the Back Rx exercise program, assisted by a virtual coach.
methodsPatients 18 to 65 years of age, with axial CLBP (more than 3 months), and evidence of lumbar disc pathology by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were enrolled to the study. Patients' symptomatology was prospectively evaluated at baseline and after 3 months of using the Back Rx app. The main outcome of the study was back pain evaluated using the visual analog scale (VAS) for pain. Secondary outcomes were the patient's functionality, the weekly pain medication intake, the patients' adherence to the app, and the patients´ satisfaction rate.
resultsSeventy-five patients with CLBP were enrolled in the study. All patients had a statistically significant improvement from baseline to final follow-up in the average VAS scores, and the functionality evaluations. Average VAS scores decreased from 5.17 ± 2.1 at baseline to 3.8 ± 2.6 at final follow-up (P = 0.016). Patients showed a significant decrease in the number of pain medications taken during a week (P = 0.001). Overall compliance with the app was 52%, and 65% of the patients rated the overall experience as good or excellent.
conclusionThe Back Rx app decreased pain and increased function in patients with discogenic axial CLBP compared to their baseline status. Further measures are needed to increase patients' compliance with the app and the Back Rx program.
trial registrationRetrospectively registered in 2/2/2017 NCT03040310 (ClinicalTrials.gov).
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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.