Remote Versus in-Person Exercise Instruction for Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain Lasting 12 Weeks or Longer: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: Low back pain is a common health problem. We compared the effects of a remote exercise instruction with in-person exercise instruction on the pain and disability of people with nonspecific low back pain for more than 12 weeks. Material and methods: We carried out a randomized clinical trial with two study arms in an outpatient clinic at a University Hospital. A total of 56 patients were included and randomly allocated to each study arm. The primary outcome was the intensity of the low back pain. The secondary outcome was the Oswestry Disability Questionnaire score. We measured the outcomes before the intervention and in one and three months after completion of the program. The program consisted of core stability exercises and included flexibility and strengthening for all patients. Participants in the remote exercise group carried out the exercises at home two times a day for four weeks. They were followed by telephone calls. Patients in the in-person exercise group received the same exercises at the clinic, three times a week for four weeks. Results: Between-group comparisons indicated that there were no significant differences between the two approaches in changing pain (p = 0.93) and disability scores (p = 0.74) from the baseline to three months postintervention values. Conclusions: There was no measurable difference between an exercise program delivered remotely compared to in-person.