PhD Defense: To exercise or not to exercise; Exploring Adherence to Home-Based Exercise in patients with Low Back Pain.

Low back pain (LBP) is a common condition that affects millions of adults worldwide, leading to discomfort, disability, and financial strain. Exercise therapy is a proven way to manage LBP and often includes home-based exercise. However, its success depends on how well patients adhere to the recommendations from the physiotherapist. Unfortunately, many struggle with adherence, making it harder for them to recover.

To help improve adherence, digital tools like smartphone apps are becoming more popular. These apps can support people with LBP by guiding them through their exercises, reminding them, and providing a way to monitor progress. One such tool, the e-Exercise LBP intervention, combines traditional physiotherapy with an app tailored to each patient’s needs, aiming to improve recovery and long-term outcomes.

Researchers developed a new tool called the Exercise Adherence Scale (EXAS) to measure how well patients follow the home-based exercise recommendations. They found that adherence to exercises can vary over time, with some people becoming more consistent while others struggle. Interestingly, adherence levels didn’t always directly correlate with improvements in pain or physical function, suggesting that recovery is more complex than only adhering to home-based exercise recommendations.

Overall, the study highlights the potential of combining physiotherapy with digital support to help patients manage their LBP. While digital tools like apps can be effective support tools, the role of physiotherapists remains crucial in guiding and motivating patients to stay engaged. Further research is needed to explore how personalized and tech-supported approaches can best support long-term recovery from LBP.