Telerehabilitation for Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain (TeleBACK Clinical Trial)

The investigators will conduct a prospective, randomized, clinical trial addressing key questions to understanding the effectiveness of telerehabilitation (physical therapy delivered via video-visits) and in-clinic physical therapy for patients with chronic low back pain (LBP). The investigators also seek to understand how patients engage with both care options and how these treatment options influence other LBP-related healthcare utilization. The investigators will explore implementation outcomes using a mixed methods approach consisting of electronic surveys and semi-structured interviews with patients, physical therapists, practice managers, and outpatient services administration focusing on perceived quality and impact on barriers to care. The investigators will enroll 1000 patients with chronic LBP seeking outpatient care at the healthcare systems in Maryland (Johns Hopkins Medicine (JHM)) and Utah (University of Utah (UU) and Intermountain Healthcare (IHC)). Eligible patients will provide informed consent and be randomized to receive telerehabilitation or in-clinic physical therapy delivered by a trained physical therapist. Primary effectiveness outcome is the difference in change in LBP-related disability (Oswestry Disability Index) after 8 weeks of treatment.