Researchers examined a new patient-led goal setting program for managing chronic low back pain and published results in Spine.
The pilot study investigated a single group longitudinal cohort with 20 participants who had low back pain. They went through a patient-led goal setting intervention over two months and had two monthly follow-up sessions after treatment. A physiotherapist led the efforts.
Patients identified their problem areas, defined goals and developed evidence-based strategies to meet goals with the help of the physiotherapist. The researchers also examined secondary measures that included stress and anxiety.
The researchers found significant improvement in:
• Disability measures
• Pain
• Fear avoidance
• Self-efficacy
• Quality of life
The participants reported maintaining the improvements at least two months after treatment.
“Our findings confirm that a patient-centered goal-setting intervention is a potentially effective intervention for the management of chronic low back pain showing significant improvements in both quality of life and pain intensity,” concluded the study authors.