Internet-based aftercare for patients with back pain-a pilot study

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Digital Health
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Maintaining treatment gains in chronic back pain requires effective post-treatment support.
• In-person aftercare is not always feasible, necessitating innovative solutions.
• Behavioral changes learned in therapy must be integrated into daily life to prevent relapse.

Purpose of the Study:

• To construct, implement, and evaluate an Internet-based aftercare intervention for chronic back pain patients.
• To assess the feasibility, acceptance, and efficacy of the digital aftercare program.
• To compare post-treatment symptom trajectories between the intervention group and treatment as usual (TAU).

Main Methods:

• An Internet-based aftercare program featuring individualized self-monitoring and therapist-moderated chat sessions was developed.
• A randomized controlled trial (n=75) compared the intervention group with a control group receiving TAU.
• Symptom development, particularly pain-related disability, was tracked post-treatment.

Main Results:

• The Internet-based aftercare intervention was feasible and well-accepted, with 68.2% finding chat sessions helpful.
• Significant positive effects on post-treatment disability were observed.
• Pain-related disability decreased in the intervention group (0.39 points/100 days) versus increasing in the TAU group (1.25 points/100 days).

Conclusions:

• The digital aftercare intervention is a feasible and well-accepted method for supporting chronic back pain patients.
• The intervention demonstrated efficacy in managing pain-related disability.
• Further validation through larger-scale randomized controlled trials is recommended.