BACKGROUND
The role of self-management in health promotion and its preventive and/or rehabilitative role is increasing through the use of mobile health applications (mHealth apps). Such mHealth apps are also increasingly used for self-management in low back pain (LBP), but their effectiveness has not been sufficiently explored.
OBJECTIVE
Aim of this systematic scoping review was to provide a literature overview of mHealth apps including a self-management component and their effects on pain and disability in people with LBP.
METHODS
We applied the Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) methodology, including a priori research questions. A literature search was conducted in two databases (PubMed and PEDro) for studies published until 17th June 2021. Studies were included if the mHealth app included an in-built self-management content, the app was used for self-management for people with low back pain, and the study reported outcomes on pain and disability in people with LBP.
RESULTS
Seven studies were selected for the review with overall 2,314 persons with low back pain, of which 57% were females. The majority of participants had chronic LBP, however, some studies did not report the duration of LBP at baseline. A total of 5 different mHealth apps were identified which all contributed to a statistically significant reduction of low back pain and clinically meaningful changes. Four studies used 4 different assessments for disability, of which three out of four showed statistically significant improvements in the level of functional ability.
CONCLUSIONS
This systematic scoping review found preliminary evidence that people suffering from LBP may benefit from mHealth apps providing self-management content. However, the generalizability of the findings is diminished due to heterogeneity in the pain characterization of included participants and intervention durations. More high-quality studies with longer follow-up periods to investigate personalized mHealth approaches are recommended for LBP self-management.