The Effect of Attention Distraction on the Adherence to Exercise, in Chronic Low Back Pain Patients.
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Stabilisation exercise, resistance exercise and distraction task, stabilisation exercise and resistance exercises.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP), Distraction Methods, Adherence to Care. Basic parameters: from 18 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Greece
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Official title
Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain: Investigating the Effectiveness of a Dual-Task Program as an Attention Distraction Strategy
Overview
This randomized controlled trial aims to investigate whether the use of an attention distraction application during exercise increases patient adherence to exercise programs in chronic non-specific low back pain (CNSLBP). In addition, the study will examine whether higher adherence to exercise leads to improved outcomes in pain levels, functional capacity, kinesiophobia, quality of life, central sensitization, and pain catastrophizing.
Detailed description
Participants will be stratified based on their level of physical activity according to the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) into:
* Low physical activity * Moderate physical activity * High physical activity
They will then be randomly assigned to one of two groups: (1) an experimental group using the attention distraction application during the standard exercise program and (2) a control group following the same standard exercise program without distraction. The intervention will last for 8 weeks, with participants attending three non-supervised sessions per week (total: 24 training sessions). Each session will last approximately 25-30 minutes. Adherence to the exercise program will be monitored through the EARS questionnaire and the distraction application (The total score ranges from 0 to 24, where a higher score reflects better adherence).
The intervention group sessions consist of 5 minute submaximal warm-up followed by 25 minutes of stabilisation and resistance training with exercises focused on strength and stabilisation while using the distraction application. The training will consist of two parts: warming-up and the resistance and stabilisation program. The resistance program will consist of 4 exercises: knee flexion, abdominal crunches, prone superman and leg extension. Each exercise will be performed for 3 sets of 10 repetitions with a rest of 30 sec corresponding to every set , and 1 minute between each exercise. The stabilisation program will consist of 3 exercises: bridge, plank and side plank. Each exercise will be performed for 3 sets of 1 repetition (maximum time) with a rest of 30 sec corresponding to every set and 1 minute between each exercise. Four levels of difficulty will be given for each exercise to allow for progression. Every 2 weeks, there will be a progression that will be achieved by increasing the resistance band tension, by changing the base of support or my modifying the length of resistance level arm.
In the control group they will perform the same exercises without the distraction-based application.
The exercise intensity will be monitored by the researcher, as determined by the patient's ability to complete three sets of 8-12 repetitions for a given exercise and a CR10scale. The progression will be in line with guidelines provided by the American College of Sports Medicine.
Adherence to the program for both groups will be assessed by the Exercise Adherence Rating Scale (EARS - GR).
Interventions
- Other Stabilisation exercise, resistance exercise and distraction task
The 8-week exercise intervention consists of 25 minutes non supervised training while distracting their attention with a knowledge based application - Other stabilisation exercise and resistance exercises
The 8-week exercise intervention consists of 25 minutes non supervised training without distracting their attention with a knowledge based application
Primary outcome measures
- Adherence to exercise [Time frame: Baseline, Week 8, and follow-up (6 months).]
- Adherence to exercise [Time frame: During the 6 month intervention period.]
- Adherence to exercise [Time frame: During the 6 month intervention period.]
- Adherence to exercise [Time frame: During the 6 month intervention period]
- Adherence to exercise [Time frame: During the 6 month intervention period]
- Adherence to exercise [Time frame: During the 6 month intervention period]
Secondary outcome measures (12)
- Pain Intensity [Time frame: Baseline, Week 8, and follow-up (6 months).]
- Anxiety, Stress, and Depression [Time frame: Baseline, Week 8, and follow-up (6 months).]
- Functionality [Time frame: Baseline, Week 8, and follow-up (6 months).]
- Pain Catastrophizing [Time frame: Baseline, Week 8, and follow-up (6 months).]
- Central Sensitization [Time frame: Baseline, Week 8, and follow-up (6 months).]
- Kinesiophobia [Time frame: Baseline, Week 8, and follow-up (6 months)]
- Individual's health-related quality of life [Time frame: Baseline, Week 8, and follow-up (6 months)]
- Effect of Physical Activity Level [Time frame: Analyzed post-intervention based on IPAQ stratification]
- Work Productivity [Time frame: Baseline, Week 8, and follow-up (6 months)]
- Lumbar Mobility [Time frame: Baseline, Week 8, and follow-up (6 months).]
- Muscle Endurance [Time frame: Baseline, Week 8, and follow-up (6 months).]
- Gait Analysis [Time frame: Baseline, Week 8, and follow-up (6 months).]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Age > 18 years
- Chronic non-specific low back pain (≥3 months)
- No physical therapy or structured exercise program in the last 3 months
- Willingness to use the attention distraction application (for the AD-APP group)
- Completion of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ)
Exclusion criteria
- History of spinal surgery
- Neurological conditions affecting movement
- Regular use of pain relief medication within the past two weeks
- Pregnancy
- Severe psychological disorders that may affect compliance
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Single blind
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
Study locations
Greece · 1 center
- University of Thessaly — Lamia
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07192809 · 20787/25/TFSKTH - 09/07/2025