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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2024 Dec 3;26(1):208.
doi: 10.1186/s13075-024-03443-1.

Impact of the digital health application ViViRA on spinal mobility, physical function, quality of life and pain perception in spondyloarthritides patients: a randomized controlled trial

Paloma Palm von Alten Blaskowitz  1 , Anna-Maria Liphardt  1   2 , Claudia Bouzas  1 , Birte Coppers  1   2 , Pascal Petit  3 , Nicolas Vuillerme  3   4 , Vanessa Bundle  1 , Sebastian Rudolf  1 , Johannes Knitza  5 , Maria Gabriella Raimondo  1   2 , Hannah Labinsky  6 , Lukas Hatscher  1   2 , Andreas Wirsching  1   2 , Daniela Bohr  1   2 , Elizabeth Araujo  1   2 , Andreas Ramming  1   2 , Alina Ramming  1   2 , Georg Schett  1   2 , Harriet Morf  7   8
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Impact of the digital health application ViViRA on spinal mobility, physical function, quality of life and pain perception in spondyloarthritides patients: a randomized controlled trial

Paloma Palm von Alten Blaskowitz et al. Arthritis Res Ther. .

Abstract

Background: Spondyloarthritides (SpAs) are a group of common rheumatic diseases that often cause limited mobility and lower back pain. Physiotherapy is an integral part of treatment, but access to physiotherapy limits treatment success. Digital health applications (DHAs) enable home-based physiotherapy and could significantly improve access for SpAs patients. The aim is to investigate the clinical effects of the DHA ViViRA compared with those of standard physiotherapy.

Methods: SpAs patients with chronic back pain were enrolled in a randomized controlled trial. The intervention group received ViViRA DHA, whereas the control group received standard physiotherapy. Pain (verbal rating scale, PAIN-Detect), quality of life (SF-36) and mobility (BASMI) were assessed at baseline and after 12 weeks as the primary outcomes.

Results: Data from 59 participants (71.2% female, mean age 45.2 years) were analyzed. The intervention group showed a significant improvement in mobility (average BASMI score: baseline: 1.1 [range 0.7-1.5]; follow-up: 1.0 [range 0.5-1.4]; p = 0.05), whereas the control group showed a significant decrease in mobility (baseline: 1.5 [range 1.1-1.9]; follow-up: 1.8 [range 1.4-2.2]; p = 0.00). The intervention group demonstrated lower pain intensity (VRS pain level at week 3.5 ± 2.8) than did the control group (VRS pain level at week 4.5 ± 2) after 12 weeks.

Conclusion: Our results highlight the efficacy of DHAs such as ViViRA in the treatment of lower back pain in SpAs patients. Compared with the current gold standard, physiotherapy, DHA use results in superior outcomes. However, further larger studies are needed to confirm these promising results.

Trial registration: The study is registered in the German clinical trial registry (DRKS) under the following ID: DRKS00031254.

Keywords: DHA; Digital health application; E-Health; Mobility; Physical function; Psoriatic spondylitis; Spondyloarthritides; Spondyloarthropathy; ViViRA.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The study protocol was approved by the medical faculty ethics committee of the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany (22-425-Bm) and registered in the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS-ID DRKS00031254). Participation in the study was voluntary. All patients gave their written informed consent before study inclusion. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Screenshots of the DHA ViViRA
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Results at baseline vs. follow-up (mean value). The results regarding pain perception of the intervention group (using ViViRA, n = 30) and control group (performing physiotherapy, n = 29) at baseline vs. follow-up (after 12 weeks) in a randomized controlled trial with 59 SpAs patients (71.2% female, 28.8% male)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Results of the feedback questionnaire. The results of the feedback questionnaire of the intervention group (n = 30) after 12 weeks of exercising with ViViRA in a randomized controlled trial with 59 SpAs patients (71.2% female, 28.8% male)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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