WalkBack trial
The WalkBack trial: an individualised and progressive walking and education program to prevent low back pain recurrence.
Seven in 10 people who recover from an episode of low back pain will experience a recurrence within the following year. Accessible and affordable forms of exercise that enable individuals to self-manage their back pain have not been evaluated as interventions to prevent the recurrence of low back pain.
Although the health benefits of walking have been widely explored, no trial has examined whether walking was effective in preventing recurrences of low back pain – until the WalkBack trial.
About the WalkBack trial
The NHMRC-funded WalkBack trial investigated whether an individualised, progressive walking program delivered by a physiotherapist could reduce recurrences of low back pain.
We recruited 701 participants across Australia who had experienced an episode of low back pain in the last six months but had recovered by the time they enrolled in the trial.
Participants willing to partake in the trial were randomly allocated to one of two groups. One group received a progressive and individualised walking and education program delivered by a physiotherapist across six sessions, while the other group received no treatment (ie a control group).
We recruited over 20 physiotherapists across New South Wales and Queensland to deliver the intervention.
Both groups were followed for a minimum of one year and up to a maximum of three years – to track any new recurrences of low back pain.
Results of the trial
The trial found positive results and was published in a The Lancet in June 2024. The walking and education program (intervention) was found to reduce the recurrence of low back pain, which limits everyday activities, by 28 per cent, compared to the control group.
Impressively, this simple walking and education program also reduced care-seeking episodes of low back pain by 43 per cent.
The walking and education program also reduced the time taken off work due to low back pain (ie absenteeism) and was cost-effective compared to the control group.
Finding clinicians who can provide WalkBack
The clinicians involved in the trial were spread across New South Wales and Queensland. They delivered the intervention either face-to-face or via telehealth to people across Australia.
Below is a list of our trained clinicians and the clinics they work at.
New South Wales
- Crows Nest: Prana Physiotherapy – Shaun Miller
- Crows Nest: Prana Physiotherapy – Valerie Mullane
- Engadine: PhysioINQ – Tom Hol
- Gosford: Coastal Physiotherapy Clinic – Michael Ward
- Hawkesbury: Greater Western Health – Patrick Green
- Liverpool: Prime Physiotherapy – Daniel Wainwright
- Macquarie Park: MQ Health Physiotherapy – Deborah Wareham
- Parramatta: Cumberland Physiotherapy Sports – Matt West
- Thornleigh: Thornleigh Performance Physiotherapy – Pearce van der Meeden
- Warringah: Warringah Physiotherapy – Aaron Bruce
Queensland
- Albany Creek: ALLSPORTS Physiotherapy – Andrew Thorpe
- Caloundra: Life Physio + Rehab – Robert Ceccato
- Parkwood: ALLSPORTS Physiotherapy – Maddi Chia
- Robina: Physiologic – Hayley Thomson
WalkBack trial in the media
- Published article in The Lancet.
- Macquarie University Lighthouse article.
- Study infographic.
- CBS.
- New York Times.