An individualized, progressive walking and education intervention has been shown to effectively prevent the recurrence of low back pain, according to a study published online on June 19 in The Lancet.

The study, led by Natasha C. Pocovi, Ph.D., from Macquarie University in Sydney, assessed both the clinical and cost-effectiveness of the intervention in a randomized trial. This trial involved adults from across Australia who had recently recovered from an episode of nonspecific low back pain.

Participants were randomly divided into two groups: one receiving an individualized intervention facilitated by six sessions with a physical therapist over six months (351 participants), and a no-treatment control group (350 participants). The participants were monitored for at least 12 months.

The results revealed that the intervention was effective in preventing episodes of activity-limiting low back pain, with a hazard ratio of 0.72. The median time to recurrence was 208 days in the intervention group, compared to 112 days in the control group. In terms of cost-effectiveness, the incremental cost per quality-adjusted life year gained was AU$7,802. At a willingness-to-pay threshold of AU$28,000, there was a 94 percent probability that the intervention was cost-effective.

The study also found that the number of participants experiencing at least one adverse event over 12 months was similar between the intervention and control groups (52 and 54 percent, respectively). However, there were more adverse events related to the lower extremities in the intervention group (100 events) compared to the control group (54 events).

"By encouraging active self-management using health coaching principles, the WalkBack intervention might be able to reduce the prevalence of recurrent low back pain and the associated burden on health care systems," the authors concluded.

This study highlights the potential of individualized, progressive walking and education programs to not only improve patient outcomes but also offer a cost-effective solution to managing low back pain recurrence.