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Enrolling by invitationNCT03270631Updated Sep 4, 2025

Movement Control Exercises and Fascial Manipulation in Chronic Low Back Pain

An interventional study of FM and MCE and FM and sham-MCE in Low Back Pain and Low Back Pain, Recurrent, sponsored by Oulu University Hospital. Enrolling by invitation at 1 site in Finland. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-09-04.

Sponsored by Oulu University Hospital · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
250
Allocation
Randomized
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Subjects are recruited from the attendees of the multidisciplinary low back pain rehabilitation group before it takes place in University Hospital of Oulu at Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM) unit. Subjects were invited to participate by letter 2 weeks before the beginning of the rehabilitation. Subjects to rehabilitation are picked by doctor at PRM unit. The volunteered subjects are invited to the briefing of the study and those who are willing to participate, they filled in several questionnaires about pain, participation, disability and mood. After that the subjects are measured at baseline measurement. Subjects are randomized into the five groups. After the 3 months treatment and training the follow-up measurements are performed. Same questionnaires are filled in at that point as well. At 6 and 12 months the follow-up questionnaires (same as before) are sent to subjects.

Read the detailed description

Subjects are recruited from the attendees of the multidisciplinary low back pain rehabilitation group before it takes place in University Hospital of Oulu at Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM) unit. Subjects were invited to participate by letter 2 weeks before the beginning of the rehabilitation. Subjects to rehabilitation are picked by doctor at PRM unit. The volunteered subjects are invited to the briefing of the study and those who are willing to participate, they filled in several questionnaires about pain, participation, disability and mood. After that the subjects are measured at baseline measurement. Subjects are randomized into the five groups: 1) control group, 2) fascial manipulation (FM) and movement control exercises (MCE), 3) sham-FM and MCE, 4) FM and sham-MCE and 5) sham-FM and sham-MCE. Physical therapists who perform treatments (FM), prescribing MCE and performing the measurements are blinded to each other. Physical therapist who is performing measurements is also blinded for the baseline measurements. There and 4 treatments of sham-FM, 4-5 treatments of FM, 4 treatments of sham-MCE and 4-6 treatments of MCE. Control group will receive only university hospital rehabilitation and will participate into the baseline and follow-up measurements. After the 3 months treatment and training the follow-up measurements are performed. Same questionnaires are filled in as at baseline. At 6 and 12 months the follow-up questionnaires (same as before) are sent to subjects.

02

Conditions studied

  • Low Back Pain
  • Low Back Pain, Recurrent

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03

Who can participate

Ages eligible
Child (0–17), Adult (18–64), Older adult (65+)
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Chronic non-operatively treated low back pain or pain after the low back operation. Participation in multidisciplinary rehabilitation at University Hospital of Oulu.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Specific low back pain cause and earlier fascial manipulation treatment given.
04

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Quadruple (Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
250 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • No intervention
    Control

    Multidisciplinary rehabilitation, no interventions

  • Experimental
    FM and MCE

    Subjects will have 4-5 times of fascial manipulation (FM) treatment and 4-6 times movement control exercises (MCE) at home to be done based on movement control testing (MCT). Both are given in 3 month period.

    Other: FM and MCE

  • Other
    FM and sham-MCE

    FM 4-5 times in 3 months and 4 general exercise prescription.

    Other: FM and sham-MCE

  • Other
    MCE and sham-FM

    Sham-FM 4 times in 3 months including trigger point treatment in before decided points and 4-6 times MCE prescription and home exercises.

    Other: MCE and sham-FM

  • Sham comparator
    Sham-MCE and sham-FM

    4 general practice guiding and Sham-FM 4 times in 3 months including trigger point treatment in before decided points.

    Other: Sham-MCE and sham-FM

Interventions

  • OtherFM and MCE

    Treatments (FM and MCE) are given individually and as in a normal clinical physical therapy setting.

  • OtherFM and sham-MCE

    Treatments (FM) are given individually and as in a normal clinical physical therapy setting. Sham-MCE is general exercises.

  • OtherMCE and sham-FM

    Treatments (FM and MCE) are given individually and as in a normal clinical physical therapy setting. Sham-FM is similar to trigger point treatment with treated points randomized.

  • OtherSham-MCE and sham-FM

    Sham-FM is similar to trigger point treatment with treated points randomized. Sham-MCE is general exercises.

05

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in Patient Specific Functional Scale (PSFS)

    Three different meaningful tasks will be rated from 0 to 10 as how hard is the task.

    Time frame: Baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in Oswestry

    Disability index

    Time frame: Baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months

  2. Change in PROMIS

    Quality of life

    Time frame: Baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months

  3. Change in Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia

    Fear of movement

    Time frame: Baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months

  4. Change in Visual analogue Scale

    Pain scale

    Time frame: Baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months

  5. Change in Linton Örebro

    Psychosocial risk factor

    Time frame: Baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months

  6. Change in Start back

    Screening tool of the psychosocial risk factors

    Time frame: Baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months

  7. Change in Movement control tests

    Clinical tests for LBP

    Time frame: Change from baseline at 3 month

  8. Change in Spinal mouse

    Mobility of the spine

    Time frame: Change from baseline at 3 month

  9. Change in Balance measured with computer

    Power plate

    Time frame: Change from baseline at 3 month

  10. Change in Mobility of the hips

    Hip ROM

    Time frame: Change from baseline at 3 month

  11. Change in Two-point discrimination

    How far apart subject is able to feel two distinctive point of touch

    Time frame: Change from baseline at 3 month

  12. Change in Lef-right discrimination

    How subject is able to understand right and left of the back

    Time frame: Change from baseline at 3 month

  13. Change in Ultrasound of the fascia

    Several fascial structures are measured

    Time frame: Change from baseline at 3 month

06

Study locations

1 site
  • University Hospital of Oulu
    Oulu, 90029, Finland
07

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03270631
Lead sponsor
Oulu University Hospital
Collaborators
Loisto Terveys, Oulu, Fysios Kastelli, Oulu, Faskia-Markus, Oulu
Responsible party
Jani Takatalo (Resident of PRM, PhD, MD, Oulu University Hospital) — Principal investigator
First posted
Sep 1, 2017
Start date
Aug 28, 2017
Primary completion
May 31, 2026 (estimated)
Completion
May 31, 2026 (estimated)
Last update
Sep 4, 2025

Study contacts

Jani Takatalo, PhD
principal investigator · Oulu University Hospital

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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