The purpose of this study is to explore and compare the effectiveness of in-person versus remote physical therapy (PT) for the treatment of musculoskeletal (MSK) pain within the Military Health System (MHS).
Ages 18-64
TRICARE Beneficiary (active duty, retiree, dependent)
Health care visit for their MSK condition in the past 6 weeks
Diagnosed with an MSK condition that has persisted for at least 2 weeks
Surgery for any MSK condition in the past 6 months
Currently known to be pregnant
Medical contraindication to exercise
Currently receiving or scheduled to receive invasive or other nonpharmacologic interventions for any MSK condition (e.g., chiropractic, injections, etc.) with the exception of a physical therapy referral, an issued profile or duty restriction, or other related patient education
Parallel
In-person physical therapy (PT)
Other interventionParticipants assigned to in-person PT will receive individual treatment sessions provided by a licensed, on-site PT. Participants will receive 1-on-1 sessions based on the preference and clinical expertise of the clinician. Participants assigned to in-person physical therapy will receive individual treatment sessions provided by a licensed, on-site physical therapist at the participating military treatment facility. Physical therapists delivering in-person physical therapy will have the option to provide participants a digital home exercise program, however this will not be required. If you choose to download and use either app, you will have to accept the app's terms of service.
Telehealth physical therapy (TH-PT)
Other interventionParticipants assigned to telehealth physical therapy will use two-way video conferencing with a licensed physical therapist via a secure platform approved for patient care. Video conferencing will be accessible via a mobile app or web browser on your home computer. Participants assigned to telehealth physical therapy will be provided a digital home exercise program. The home exercise program is accessible via a mobile app or web browser on your home computer. This is an app that some military clinics already use as standard of care for providing home exercise programs to their patients, so there is a chance you would be receiving your exercises by this method even if you didn't participate in this study.
Pain, Enjoyment, and General Activity Scale (PEG-3)
The PEG-3 measure includes 3 items evaluating 1) pain severity; and interference of pain with 2) enjoyment and 3) general activity. Item response options range from 0-10. The PEG-3 score is expressed as the mean of all item scores ranging from 0-10.
PROMIS-29
The PROMIS-29 assesses additional domains relevant to patients with MSK pain including physical function, fatigue, depression, anxiety, pain intensity, ability to participate in social roles, and sleep disturbance. The PROMIS-29 can also be used to calculate a physical and mental health summary score and can be used in cost-effectiveness analyses.
Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ)
Because of its role in patients' capacity of selfmanagement, we will use the 10 item Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ) to quantify an individual's confidence in performing activities despite pain.
Patient Global Assessment of Change (PGIC)
Participants' satisfaction with their intervention will be based on the single-item Patient Global Assessment of Change (PGIC).
PROMIS Short Form Prescription Pain Medication Misuse
The PROMIS short form 7a assesses the abuse of prescription pain medication. The short form uses fixed items from the PROMIS item bank to provide a T-score with population mean = 50 (sd=10).
Click on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.
Brooke Army Medical Center
Lead sponsor
Tripler Army Medical Center
Collaborator
Madigan Army Medical Center
Collaborator
C.R.Darnall Army Medical Center
Collaborator
University of Utah
Collaborator
This trial is not recruiting at the moment. You can still explore other options:
