EFFICACY OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE DRIVEN PROGRAM VERSUS TRADITIONAL PHYSICAL THERAPY PROGRAM IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK DYSFUNCTION (AI-LBD)

August 5, 2026 updated by: Dalia Ashraf Mohamed Youssef, Cairo University

Efficacy of an Artificial Intelligence-Driven Program Versus a Traditional Physical Therapy Program in Patients With Low Back Dysfunction

Low back dysfunction is one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders and is associated with pain, disability, and reduced quality of life. Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a promising tool to support personalized rehabilitation by improving exercise prescription, monitoring adherence, and providing real-time feedback. This randomized controlled trial aims to compare the effectiveness of an AI-driven rehabilitation program with a traditional physical therapy program in patients with low back dysfunction. Primary outcomes include pain intensity, functional disability, and quality of life. The findings may provide evidence regarding the role of AI-assisted rehabilitation in improving clinical outcomes.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This study is a prospective randomized controlled trial designed to evaluate the efficacy of an artificial intelligence-driven rehabilitation program compared with a traditional physical therapy program in patients with low back dysfunction. Eligible participants will be randomly allocated into two groups. The experimental group will receive an AI-driven rehabilitation program, while the control group will receive a standardized traditional physical therapy program. Clinical outcomes will be assessed before and after the intervention using validated outcome measures for pain, functional disability, quality of life, and other variables specified in the study protocol. The study aims to determine whether integrating artificial intelligence into rehabilitation provides superior clinical outcomes compared with conventional physical therapy.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

68

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

  • Egypt
    • Cairo Governorate
      • Cairo, Cairo Governorate, Egypt
        • Faculty of physical therapy, Cairo University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults aged 18-45 years.
  • Male or female participants.
  • Clinical diagnosis of low back dysfunction by a physiotherapist or physician.
  • Symptoms lasting more than 3 months.
  • Ability to participate in physical therapy or use AI-based rehabilitation tools.
  • Willingness to comply with the study protocol and provide written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Recent spinal injury or spinal surgery.
  • Previous spinal surgery within the last 6 months.
  • Severe neurological disorders (e.g., multiple sclerosis or Parkinson's disease).
  • Chronic conditions that significantly limit mobility (e.g., advanced arthritis).
  • Current use of strong opioid analgesics.
  • Severe psychiatric disorders.
  • Inability to use or access the required technology for the AI intervention.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: AI-Driven Rehabilitation
Participants will receive an artificial intelligence-driven rehabilitation program including personalized exercise prescription, progression, and monitoring according to the study protocol.
Other: AI-Driven Rehabilitation Program
A personalized rehabilitation program guided by artificial intelligence, including individualized exercise prescription and progression.
Active Comparator: Traditional Physical Therapy
Participants will receive a standardized traditional physical therapy rehabilitation program according to the study protocol.
Other: Traditional Physical Therapy Program
A conventional physical therapy rehabilitation program delivered according to the study protocol

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pain Intensity
Time Frame: Baseline and immediately post intervention 6 weeks of treatment.
Pain intensity measured using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), a 10-cm self-reported pain scale ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst imaginable pain).
Baseline and immediately post intervention 6 weeks of treatment.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Functional Performance
Time Frame: Baseline and after 6 weeks.
Functional performance measured using the Back Performance Scale (BPS). The total score ranges from 0 to 15, with higher scores indicating greater functional limitation.
Baseline and after 6 weeks.
Cost-effectiveness
Time Frame: After completion of the 6-week intervention.
Cost-effectiveness assessed using the Incremental Cost-Effectiveness Ratio (ICER), based on total costs and clinical effectiveness of the AI-driven and traditional physical therapy programs,including direct medical costs, intervention-related costs, and healthcare utilization costs.
After completion of the 6-week intervention.
Lumbar Range of Motion
Time Frame: Baseline and after 6 weeks.
Lumbar range of motion assessed using the Back Range of Motion (BROM II) device measuring lumbar flexion, extension, lateral flexion, and rotation.
Baseline and after 6 weeks.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Cairo University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

August 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

January 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 3, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 3, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

August 6, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

August 7, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 5, 2026

Last Verified

August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • AI-LBD-20260803-1995-DA

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data will not be publicly shared to protect participant confidentiality and privacy.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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