Kaia Back Pain

Instructions for Use

Revision: 10, 2023-01-24

If you want to get a paper version of the instructions for use, please contact our support at support@kaiahealth.de.

Welcome to Kaia Back Pain

The Kaia Back Pain therapy concept
Your daily program
The Kaia Back Pain App
Building habits
Getting in touch
Technical information

Appendix

Hardware and software compatibility
Label & symbols

Welcome to Kaia Back Pain: Ease your pain at home

Thank you for choosing Kaia Back Pain to be a part of your pain relief. Congratulations on taking the first step

If you are reading this, then you are one of millions around the world suffering from lower back pain. The good news is, you’ve taken an important first step towards better back health. Together with thousands of other users you decided to get active against back pain. The Kaia Back Pain program can be done in just minutes per day. Schedule a quick session before work, during your lunch break and even while you travel! It is easy to use in the comfort of your home, engaging and entertaining.

This document contains important information to help you get started with Kaia Back Pain. Keep in mind that your doctor is still the best person to provide you with information about your diagnosis and answer any medical questions you might have. If you have questions about signing-up for Kaia Back Pain or reimbursement by your private statutory health insurance, please contact our Customer Support at support@kaiahealth.de.

Let’s get started!

1. The Kaia Back Pain therapy concept

WARNING: Read these instructions carefully before use. Before using Kaia Back Pain, consult a doctor to make sure you are cleared to be physically active with your back pain.

1.1 How Kaia Back Pain works

Kaia Back Pain is a digital application that is based on the evidence-based concept of multimodal pain therapy.

This means through different therapy elements, Kaia Back Pain encourages you to get physically active and to proactively manage your back pain. Kaia Back Pain combines several approaches that have proven to be particularly effective when used together.

The therapy program consists of 3 different elements:

Movement - Physical exercise routines tailored to your specific capabilities and needs, with varying levels of difficulty.
Relaxation Practices - Using the latest findings from mindfulness and progressive muscle relaxation, Kaia Back Pain helps your brain and body to cope with pain in a gentle but effective way.
Knowledge - Understanding the cause of your back pain and the connections in your body helps you to manage it more efficiently.

Your therapy starts with a questionnaire to determine your baseline condition. Your answers help us understand you back pain better and allow us to tailor the workouts to your needs.

The application can help you relieve your back pain symptoms such as pain or restricted movement.

We advise our users to follow the instructions as closely as possible. This way you can use Kaia Back Pain safely and get most out of the program. Kaia Back Pain should ideally be used between 3 and 7 times a week unless you have been instructed otherwise by your doctor. Use of Kaia Back Pain can contribute to improving common complaints associated with low back pain like the intensity of pain or impaired movement.

WARNING: If you experience severe pain or loss of function in any body part during or after the use of Kaia Back Pain, stop the exercise immediately and consult a physician.

1.2 When can Kaia Back Pain be used (intended use and indications)?

Kaia Back Pain is intended for multidisciplinary rehabilitation of non-specific back pain (M54.-) that has persisted for longer than 4 weeks and for multidisciplinary rehabilitation following previous episodes of non-specific back pain. Patients can use the app with or without current or past supervision from medical professionals but need to have undergone prior medical examination to exclude causes for back pain that would require specific treatment. The app is designed to be used directly by laypersons in a home setting without prior training.

WARNING: Kaia Back Pain cannot diagnose your conditions or injuries and cannot safely exclude potentially dangerous causes for your back pain. Do not use Kaia Back Pain in lieu of medical consultation. Please consult your physician if you have any questions related to diagnosis.

1.3 When should Kaia Back Pain not be used (contraindications)?

WARNING: You should only use Kaia Back Pain if you do not have any of the contraindications listed below.

Do not use Kaia Back Pain if you have trouble understanding any part of the instructions or if you do not speak English well enough to fully understand the instructions given in the app.

Contraindications with ICD-10 code

Potential spinal injury or fracture (T09.- / M51.-)
Do not use Kaia Back Pain if your back pain:
- Is related to a fall or other serious injury, and
- Has not been examined by your doctor to rule out spinal damage
Decreased bone density (M80.- / M81.- )
Do not use Kaia Back Pain if you have a history of low bone density (bone loss related to age or other medical reasons) unless your doctor has given you a medical exam and cleared you to do physical exercises such as those used in Kaia Back Pain.
Spinal tumor (D48.- / C79.5)
Do not use Kaia Back Pain if you have or have had any of the following unless your doctor has given you a medical exam and cleared you to do physical exercises such as those used in Kaia Back Pain:
- Spinal tumor
- History of cancer
- Excessive night sweating, unexplained weight loss, and/or unexplained fatigue
Spinal infection (M46.-)
Do not use Kaia Back Pain if you have or have had any of the following unless your doctor has given you a medical exam and cleared you to do physical exercises such as those used in Kaia Back Pain:
- History of unexplained fever
- Recent bacterial infection
- Unexplained potential symptoms of infection (feeling ill and/or tired)
- Recent injection anywhere in the body
Disc herniation (M51.-)
Do not use Kaia Back Pain if you have or have had any of the following unless your doctor has given you a medical exam and cleared you to do physical exercises such as those used in Kaia Back Pain:
- History of feeling numb or weak in your legs
- Loss of feeling in the genital area
- Bowel or bladder incontinence
Previous spinal surgery (Z98.-)
Do not use Kaia Back Pain if you have had previous spinal surgery unless your doctor has given you a medical exam and cleared you for physical exercises such as those in Kaia Back Pain.
Advanced heart disease (I50.- / I51.-)
Do not use Kaia Back Pain if you have or have had any of the following unless your doctor has given you a medical exam and cleared you to do physical exercises such as those used in Kaia Back Pain:
- History of heart disease
- Shortness of breath after climbing less than 2 flights of stairs
- Other unexplained cardiovascular (related to the heart and blood vessels) complaints (such as heart palpitations, leg swelling, and cough)
Conditions affecting your control over your lower body (from hips to toes) (G82.-)
Do not use Kaia Back Pain if you have any conditions affecting your control over your lower body (such as a neurological condition) unless your doctor has given you a medical exam and cleared you to do physical exercises such as those used in Kaia Back Pain.
Musculoskeletal problems affecting major joints in the lower body (M25.-)
Do not use Kaia Back Pain if you have any conditions causing pain or reduced movement in the major joints of your lower limbs unless your doctor has given you a medical exam and cleared you for physical exercises such as those used in Kaia Back Pain.
Pregnancy (O09.-)
Do not use Kaia Back Pain if you are or think you may be pregnant.
Gait imbalance (R26.-), history of falls (R29.6)
Do not use Kaia Back Pain if you have or have had any of the following unless your doctor has given you a medical exam and cleared you to do physical exercises such as those used in Kaia Back Pain:
- Walking imbalance
- History of falling
- Dizziness or low blood pressure brought on by exercise
Coagulopathy (D68.-) or history of bleeding event
Do not use Kaia Back Pain if you have or have had any of the following unless your doctor has given you a medical exam and cleared you to do physical exercises such as those used in Kaia Back Pain:
- History of hemorrhage (excessive bleeding from a blood vessel)
- Bleeding disorder

Relative contraindications

Do not use Kaia Back Pain if you have any trouble understanding any portion of the instructions in the app
Do not use Kaia Back Pain if you are under 18 years of age

1.4 Known side effects of Kaia Back Pain

The following side effects have been reported with regular physical activity and with the use of Kaia Back Pain in the past:

Changes of back pain intensity and temporary pain in previously pain-free areas of the body
Pain in neck muscles during or after exercises
Unpleasant sensations during exercise like snapping sensations (sliding of tendons over bony structure) or temporary dizziness
Cramps in muscles during or after exercise

If these complaints are persistent for longer than a few days, please consult a physician.

2. Your Daily Program

Kaia Back Pain offers an extensive training program that includes knowledge, workout, and relaxation courses. As previously mentioned, such a multimodal pain therapy is particularly effective for treating back pain. Kaia Back Pain is unique because it provides a new, personalized mix of your therapy program every day.

From the “Today” tab you can start any session of your selected courses. To begin an exercise, tap on a course and then select “Start”.

daily_courses

2.1 Course overview

You can customize your Daily Program by joining and leaving courses. To enroll in a course, select the “Settings” tab on the bottom of the screen. From the “Settings” screen, select “Course enrollment” to see an overview of your courses.

Tap on a course to add it to your daily schedule. The courses you are enrolled in are marked with a dark blue check-mark icon. You can leave courses at any time - the only course that is a fixed part of your therapy program is the workout course.

course_overview

Each course consists of several units. In your Daily Program, you’ll receive one unit or exercise each day for every course in which you are enrolled.

2.2 Movement

Physical exercises are the cornerstone of your daily therapy program. Kaia Back Pain will select the best physical exercises for your every day based on the answers you provided when you completed your initial questionnaire and the feedback you give after each exercise session. To start your daily physical exercise session, select “See exercises” in the “Today” tab and tap on the dark blue “Start the session” button.

You can adjust the length of the workout by selecting the desired length for the training or number of exercise rounds before beginning your workout. Once you start your Daily Program, the exercise videos will be loaded into Kaia Back Pain.

Please note: We recommend connecting to WiFi each time you use Kaia Back Pain to ensure best performance. If you choose not to connect to WiFi, please check with your network service provider regarding data usage and overages.

Step 1: Instruction video

instructions_video

Before each physical exercise, Kaia Back Pain will show you a short introduction explaining the exercise. Be sure to pay close attention to how the exercise is done and how to maintain proper form. If you forget the instructions or need a reminder, you can always revisit the introduction video during the exercise session. To do this, press the “Pause” button in the bottom left and then the white “Instructions” icon on the bottom right.