WalkBack: Preventing Low Back Pain Recurrence with Walking

WalkBack: Preventing Low Back Pain Recurrence with Walking

This study, called the WalkBack trial, investigated the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a personalised, progressive walking and education program in preventing the recurrence of low back pain. The trial included 701 adults across Australia who had recently recovered from an episode of non-specific low back pain. Participants were randomly assigned to either a six-month intervention group, involving physiotherapist-led walking and education sessions, or a control group with no treatment. The primary outcome measured was the number of days until the first recurrence of activity-limiting low back pain.

Findings:

Results showed that the intervention was effective, with participants in the walking program experiencing a significantly longer median time to recurrence (208 days) compared to the control group (112 days). The intervention also proved to be cost-effective, with an incremental cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained of AU$7802. Despite a similar overall number of adverse events between groups, the intervention group had more lower extremity-related events. The study concluded that this accessible and scalable intervention could significantly impact the management of low back pain, offering a practical approach to reducing recurrence rates.

Conclusion:

A personalised walking and education program significantly reduces the recurrence of low back pain and is cost-effective. This accessible intervention could be a valuable tool in managing and preventing your low back pain.

Give us a call or send us a message if you would like to chat further about your back pain and if this program could benefit you.

Pocovi, N. C., Lin, C.-W. C., French, S. D., Graham, P. L., van Dongen, J. M., & Latimer, J., et al. (2024). Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an individualised, progressive walking and education intervention for the prevention of low back pain recurrence in Australia (WalkBack): A randomised controlled trial. The Lancet, 404(10448), 134-144. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(23)00444-6