PR Newswire05.08.19
Kaia Health, a digital therapeutics company, announced results from the first randomized controlled trial of its app-based therapy program for patients with non-specific low back pain. Detailed results of the study were published in the journal NPJ Digital Medicine and showed that patients using Kaia, a downloadable app for back pain, reported significantly lower pain levels compared to the control group treated with physiotherapy and online education.
"This study can help add to the growing body of evidence that generally supports the use of multimodal treatments for chronic conditions," said Thomas R. Tölle, M.D., Ph.D., Head of Pain Medicine, Technical University Munich, Germany. "Within this study, we saw a notable benefit for people managing low back pain when delivering multimodal treatment through the digital modality of the smartphone, as is done in the Kaia app."
Low back pain is one of the leading causes of global disability and treatment is expensive.1,2 In the U.S., costs to treat low back pain exceed $100 billion annually3 and back pain is one of the most common reasons for missed work4, accounting for more than 264 million lost work days annually5.
"As a company, we want to support the improvement of the current standard of care for people living with back pain," said Konstantin Mehl, Founder and CEO, Kaia Health. "And while these study results are promising, we will be initiating a similar U.S.-based study looking at the use of the Kaia app for self-management of back pain."
References
1 Dalys, G. B. D. & Collaborators, H. Global, regional, and national disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) for 333 diseases and injuries and healthy life expectancy (HALE) for 195 countries and territories, 1990-2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. Lancet (Lond., Engl.) 390, 1260–1344 (2017).
2 Maher, C., Underwood, M. & Buchbinder, R. Non-specific low back pain. Lancet (Lond., Engl.) 389, 736–747 (2017).
3 Katz, J. N. Lumbar disc disorders and low-back pain: socioeconomic factors and consequences. J. bone Jt. Surg. Am. Vol. 88(Suppl 2), 21–24 (2006).
4 Vallfors B. Acute, Subacute and Chronic Low Back Pain: Clinical Symptoms, Absenteeism and Working Environment. Scan J Rehab Med Suppl 1985; 11: 1-98.
5 The Hidden Impact of Musculoskeletal Disorders on Americans, U.S. Bone and Joint Initiative, 2018.
"This study can help add to the growing body of evidence that generally supports the use of multimodal treatments for chronic conditions," said Thomas R. Tölle, M.D., Ph.D., Head of Pain Medicine, Technical University Munich, Germany. "Within this study, we saw a notable benefit for people managing low back pain when delivering multimodal treatment through the digital modality of the smartphone, as is done in the Kaia app."
Low back pain is one of the leading causes of global disability and treatment is expensive.1,2 In the U.S., costs to treat low back pain exceed $100 billion annually3 and back pain is one of the most common reasons for missed work4, accounting for more than 264 million lost work days annually5.
"As a company, we want to support the improvement of the current standard of care for people living with back pain," said Konstantin Mehl, Founder and CEO, Kaia Health. "And while these study results are promising, we will be initiating a similar U.S.-based study looking at the use of the Kaia app for self-management of back pain."
References
1 Dalys, G. B. D. & Collaborators, H. Global, regional, and national disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) for 333 diseases and injuries and healthy life expectancy (HALE) for 195 countries and territories, 1990-2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. Lancet (Lond., Engl.) 390, 1260–1344 (2017).
2 Maher, C., Underwood, M. & Buchbinder, R. Non-specific low back pain. Lancet (Lond., Engl.) 389, 736–747 (2017).
3 Katz, J. N. Lumbar disc disorders and low-back pain: socioeconomic factors and consequences. J. bone Jt. Surg. Am. Vol. 88(Suppl 2), 21–24 (2006).
4 Vallfors B. Acute, Subacute and Chronic Low Back Pain: Clinical Symptoms, Absenteeism and Working Environment. Scan J Rehab Med Suppl 1985; 11: 1-98.
5 The Hidden Impact of Musculoskeletal Disorders on Americans, U.S. Bone and Joint Initiative, 2018.