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Skip the GP? physiotherapy first for back pain put to the test

NCT ID NCT05215093

Disease control Sponsor: Hasselt University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Sep 17, 2026 · Last updated Sep 18, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

Researchers in Belgium are comparing two ways to treat acute low back pain: going straight to a physiotherapist without a GP referral, or following the usual care pathway through a GP. They will enroll 600 adults with recent low back pain and track pain, disability, quality of life, and costs over two years. The trial asks whether direct access to physiotherapy is as effective and cost-efficient as standard GP-led care.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Direct access physiotherapy, where patients see a physiotherapist without a GP referral
What this could lead to
If direct access works as well as or better than usual GP care, Belgium could change how patients with acute low back pain get treatment, possibly with faster recovery and lower costs.
What could go wrong
This is a pilot trial, so it may not have enough participants or follow-up to show clear differences. Results from Belgium may not apply elsewhere, and some patients may still need a GP for other health issues.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

200 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Dec 2022

Finished

Sep 2026

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 65 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Patients with non-specific acute LBP defined as (based on Nicol et al. 2020): * pain between the 12th rib and buttocks * associated or not with non-dominant leg pain * looking for LBP care for the first time in case of first episode, OR for the first time for the current episode in case of recurrent or persistent LBP * lasting \> 24 hours and \< 6 weeks * with an average pain intensity during the past 24 hours of ≥ 3 on an 11-point Numerical Pain Rating Scale * with an Oswestry Disability Index score (version 2.1a) of at least 20% (Denteneer et al. 2018). * Patients aged between 18 and 65 years Exclusion Criteria: * Recent lumbar surgery (\< 1 year) * Pregnancy * History of (any) treatment for the current pain episode * Red flags suggesting specific LBP (e.g. resulting from infection or neoplasm, cauda equina), based on the Belgian Health Care Knowledge Center (KCE, BEL) who published evidence-based guidelines to manage LBP and radicular pain (Van Wambeke et al. 2017), leads to exclusion from treatment within the study. * Generalized musculoskeletal pain (based on fibromyalgia criteria) (Galvez-Sánchez and Reyes del Paso 2020).

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Low Back Pain

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Low back pain Physiotherapy

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • REVAL Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences

    Diepenbeek, 3590, Belgium

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