Validation of the STarT Back Screening Tool in the Military

Validation of the STarT Back Screening Tool in the Primary Care Management of Low Back Pain in the Military Health System: A Randomized Trial of Risk-stratified vs. Usual Care

This is a trial to validate the use of the STarT Back Screening Tool (SBST) in the Military Health System for patients with low back pain presenting to primary care.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Low Back Pain; Lumbago; Radiculopathy; Intervertebral Disc Disorder
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: Usual Care; Procedure: Risk Stratified Care

Detailed Description

Subjects with low back pain presenting to primary care will be enrolled in a study that aims to evaluate the utility of the SBST for providing risk-stratified care. The concept of this approach revolves around matching treatment to patients based on their risk for developing chronic disability from back pain. Those at low risk receive less treatment, and those at high risk need more specialized treatment, that includes psychosocially-focused and cognitive considerations. This approach will be compared to usual care, where general practitioners carry out the course of action they think best for each patient, without any other guidance. Patients will be followed for 1 year.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 290
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Texas
    • San Antonio, Texas, United States, 78219
      • Brooke Army Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 50 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Males and females who are between the ages of 18-50 years old
2. Primary complaint of LBP for any duration, with or without associated radiculopathy
3. Can speak and understand English
4. Be willing and able to give full, informed written consent

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Red Flags: Any potentially serious or systemic disorders (e.g., cauda equina compression, inflammatory arthritis, compression fracture, malignancy, infection, severe neurological progression), serious illness or comorbidity
2. Spinal surgery in the past 24 months
3. Current pregnancy (or within the last 6 months)
4. Already receiving treatment (other than primary care) for this episode of LBP
5. Inability to attend regular treatment sessions
6. Pending litigation or a medical evaluation board

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Usual Care; "Managing Low Back Pain" pamphlet from DoD/VA; No specific guidance regarding physical therapy (PT) or other referrals, thus decision to refer or not will be made by the primary care manager (PCM) according to their preference	Procedure: Usual Care; Usual care at the general practitioner's discretion
Experimental: Risk Stratified Care; "Managing Low Back Pain" pamphlet from DoD/VA; Self-management education and tools; 2-item spinal manipulation screening/delivery if indicated Low Risk: Home Exercise Program as indicated; No referral for ongoing physical therapy Medium Risk and High Risk; Referral to physical therapy for ongoing care at physical therapists discretion; Managed by a "psychologically informed physical therapy" trained physical therapist	Procedure: Risk Stratified Care; Physical therapists providing care will all have attended live training in PIPT principles and be involved in monthly continuing education on these principles. The use of specific principles is guided by the patient's risk stratification (as determined by the STarT Back Tool). Medium Risk: - Reassurance will be provided to address specific concerns related to their LBP and implications on work High Risk: - Physical therapy will be psychologically augmented with the assessment of biopsychosocial risk factors and the adoption of cognitive behavioral principles that explore patient concerns and address unhelpful beliefs and behaviors, including tailored education (e.g., stress management and pain neuroscience), graded exercise, & graded exposure

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ)	The RMDQ measures low back pain related disability by prompting the participant using 24 statements. The score ranges from 0 to 24 with higher scores indicating greater disability	1 year

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System - Pain Interference	The PROMIS Pain Interference domain provides a T-score based on the population mean of 50 (standard deviation of 10), with higher scores indicating higher pain interference	1 year
EuroQoL (EQ-5D)	The EQ-5D is a generic quality of life questionnaire lhat assesses quality of life on a scale that can be referenced to other disease conditions. The EQ-5D covers 5 domains: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression. The tool provides a quality of life scores, which is measured by a utility score with 1 representing perfect health and 0 representing a state considered as bad as being dead.	1 year

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Healthcare Utilization - LBP Costs	Low back pain-related costs in the one year after enrollment	12 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Brooke Army Medical Center
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Daniel Rhon, DPT, DSc, Director of Clinical Outcomes Research, Center for the Intrepid

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Main CJ, Sowden G, Hill JC, Watson PJ, Hay EM. Integrating physical and psychological approaches to treatment in low back pain: the development and content of the STarT Back trial's 'high-risk' intervention (StarT Back; ISRCTN 37113406). Physiotherapy. 2012 Jun;98(2):110-6. doi: 10.1016/j.physio.2011.03.003. Epub 2011 Jun 12.
• Hill JC, Whitehurst DG, Lewis M, Bryan S, Dunn KM, Foster NE, Konstantinou K, Main CJ, Mason E, Somerville S, Sowden G, Vohora K, Hay EM. Comparison of stratified primary care management for low back pain with current best practice (STarT Back): a randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 2011 Oct 29;378(9802):1560-71. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60937-9. Epub 2011 Sep 28.
• Beneciuk JM, Fritz JM, George SZ. The STarT Back Screening Tool for prediction of 6-month clinical outcomes: relevance of change patterns in outpatient physical therapy settings. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2014 Sep;44(9):656-64. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2014.5178. Epub 2014 Aug 6.
• Beneciuk JM, George SZ. Pragmatic Implementation of a Stratified Primary Care Model for Low Back Pain Management in Outpatient Physical Therapy Settings: Two-Phase, Sequential Preliminary Study. Phys Ther. 2015 Aug;95(8):1120-34. doi: 10.2522/ptj.20140418. Epub 2015 Apr 9.
• Saunders B, Bartlam B, Foster NE, Hill JC, Cooper V, Protheroe J. General Practitioners' and patients' perceptions towards stratified care: a theory informed investigation. BMC Fam Pract. 2016 Aug 31;17(1):125. doi: 10.1186/s12875-016-0511-2.
• Rhon DI, Greenlee TA, Poehlein E, Beneciuk JM, Green CL, Hando BR, Childs JD, George SZ. Effect of Risk-Stratified Care on Disability Among Adults With Low Back Pain Treated in the Military Health System: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2023 Jul 3;6(7):e2321929. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.21929.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 7, 2017
• Primary Completion (Actual): February 26, 2021
• Study Completion (Actual): July 1, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 14, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 20, 2017
• First Posted (Actual): April 25, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 24, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 28, 2026
• Last Verified: May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Low Back Pain; Risk-Stratified Care
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Neuromuscular Diseases; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases; Back Pain; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Signs and Symptoms; Radiculopathy; Low Back Pain; Intervertebral disc disease
• Other Study ID Numbers: C.2016.047d

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: Data sharing must go through a Data Sharing Agreement via the Defense Health Agency
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: Usually the Data Sharing Agreement with the Defense Health Agency is good for 1 year. But the terms are all unique and contract-specific.
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: Through a proper Data Sharing Agreement Application with the United States Defense Health Agency

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No