Effectiveness of the SelfBack-App in Preventing and Treating Low Back Pain Versus no Intervention: a Non-randomized Clinical Trial

Low back pain (LBP) is the leading cause of disability worldwide and represents a major burden for both individuals and healthcare systems. In Belgium, more than one in five adults experiences an episode of low back pain each year. Healthcare workers, including nurses, nursing assistants, and logistical staff, are particularly vulnerable because of the physical demands of their profession. Daily activities such as patient handling, prolonged standing, repetitive movements, and manual lifting increase their risk of developing low back pain. As a result, these complaints can affect not only the health and well-being of employees but also their work ability, sickness absence, and, ultimately, the continuity and quality of patient care. The present study evaluates the effectiveness of the SelfBack app, a digital self-management tool developed to support people with non-specific low back pain. The application uses information provided by the user, together with data recorded by a step counter, to create a personalised weekly programme. This programme includes exercises, walking goals, and educational material, all of which are adapted to the user's symptoms, progress, and individual needs. The study will be conducted at Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel and Valida and will include nurses, nursing assistants, and logistical staff who experience non-specific low back pain. Hospital departments will be assigned to either the intervention group or the control group. Participants in the intervention group will receive access to the SelfBack app in addition to their usual care, while those in the control group will continue to receive usual care only. The main objective is to determine whether the use of the SelfBack app improves low back pain-related functional disability after three months. Functional disability will be assessed using the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ), a widely used and validated questionnaire for people with low back pain. In addition to t