title: Telephone coaching can increase activity levels for people with non-chronic low back pain: a randomised trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Does the addition of telephone coaching to usual physiotherapy care improve activity for people with non-chronic low back pain and low to moderate recovery expectations?
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomised trial with concealed allocation and intention-to-treat analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  People attending the physiotherapy department of a public hospital for treatment within eight weeks of onset of non-specific low back pain. Eligible participants had low to moderate recovery expectations, defined as a response of 7 or less to the question 'How certain are you that you will return to all of your usual activities one month from today?' on a scale from 0 (not certain at all) to 10 (completely certain).
  
  
  METHODS
  Five sessions of telephone coaching by a physiotherapist trained in health coaching techniques in addition to usual physiotherapy compared to usual physiotherapy alone.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Patient Specific Functional Scale, Oswestry Disability Index, Pain Self Efficacy Questionnaire, and recovery expectation were measured at baseline, 4, and 12 weeks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  30 participants were recruited, with 26 completing all measures at 12 weeks. There were no significant differences between groups at 4 weeks. After 12 weeks the coaching group improved significantly more than the control group on two 10-point scales: the Patient Specific Functional Scale (mean difference 3.0 points, 95% CI 0.7 to 5.4) and recovery expectation (mean difference 3.4 points, 95% CI 1.1 to 5.7). Estimates of effect sizes were moderate to large in favour of the intervention.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The addition of telephone health coaching to usual physiotherapy care for people with non-chronic non-specific low back pain led to clinically important improvements in activity and recovery expectation.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  ACTRN12607000458437.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy, La Trobe University, Australia. r.iles@latrobe.edu.au
authors.forename: Ross
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Iles
authors.forename: Nicholas F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Davidson
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: O'Halloran
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D003376:Counseling / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D013689:Telephone