Telerehabilitation Program to Improve Function in People With Chronic Low Back Pain Compared With Conventional Care

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate whether an additional telerehabilitation program, combined with conventional care, can improve functional recovery in adults with chronic low back pain treated in primary care clinics of the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS).

The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Does the telerehabilitation program lead to greater functional improvement, measured by the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), compared with conventional care alone?
* Does the program reduce pain intensity and improve adherence and satisfaction among participants?

Researchers will compare patients receiving conventional care plus telerehabilitation with those receiving conventional care only to determine whether the digital intervention provides additional clinical benefits.

Participants will:

* Continue their usual medical care for chronic low back pain at IMSS clinics.
* Follow a 6-week telerehabilitation program delivered through an online platform, including educational videos, stretching and strengthening exercises, and weekly virtual check-ins.
* Complete baseline and post-intervention assessments of pain, disability, and satisfaction.

Conditions

• Chronic Low Back Pain (Non-specific, Uncomplicated)

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Telerehabilitation Program

A six-week telerehabilitation program provided in addition to conventional medical care for patients with chronic low back pain. The program is delivered through the Moodle platform and supported by WhatsApp communication. It includes five progressive modules with educational videos, stretching and strengthening exercises based on Williams and McKenzie methods, core stabilization and flexibility routines, and relaxation techniques adapted from Jacobson's progressive relaxation. Participants complete home-based exercises and one weekly virtual session, record their activities in logs, and receive feedback from the rehabilitation team.

OTHER

Conventional care

Standard medical care provided at IMSS primary care clinics for patients with chronic low back pain. It includes physician consultations, pharmacologic management as needed (analgesics, NSAIDs), ergonomic and posture advice, and the institutional educational brochure on back hygiene and exercises. No telerehabilitation components are included

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social

  collaborator OTHER_GOV

• Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico

  collaborator OTHER

• Coordinación de Investigación en Salud, Mexico

  lead OTHER_GOV

Principal Investigators

• Arlette R. Ordoñez Flores, MD, MSc · Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social

• David R. Mejía, MD, PhD · Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social

• José de Jesús R. Sánchez, MD, PhD · Hospital General de México Eduardo Liceaga

• Rodolfo P. Almazán, PhD · National Polytechnic Institute, Mexico

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

60 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-10-03

Primary Completion

2026-11-15

Completion

2026-12-20

Countries

• Mexico

Study Locations