An interventional study of Core endurance exercise program and Segmental stabilization exercise program in Low Back Pain and Athletic Injuries, sponsored by Uskudar University. Recruiting at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye). Open to participants aged 18 Years to 45 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-08-18.
Sponsored by Uskudar University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
Low back pain is a common musculoskeletal complaint among athletes, and most cases are classified as non-specific low back pain, in which no clear anatomical or pathological source of pain can be identified. Recreational athletes, who exercise regularly for health and fitness rather than for competition, often have less structured training planning and technical supervision than professional athletes, which may increase their susceptibility to musculoskeletal complaints. Core stability has become an important consideration in the prevention and management of low back pain. The core region includes the abdominal muscles, paraspinal muscles, diaphragm, and pelvic floor muscles, and plays an important role in maintaining spinal stability. Reduced activation and endurance of these muscles may increase the load on the lumbar spine and contribute to the development of low back pain. This randomized trial compares two exercise approaches in recreational athletes with non-specific low back pain: a core endurance exercise program and a segmental stabilization exercise program targeting the transversus abdominis and lumbar multifidus. Participants are randomly assigned to one of the two programs, both delivered three days per week for six weeks under physiotherapist supervision. Pain and functional status, dynamic balance, and core muscle endurance are assessed before the program and at the end of the six-week program.
Design and setting This is a two-arm, parallel-group randomized trial conducted at a sports club facility.
Institutional permission for the study site has been obtained. Participants Recreational athletes who have recently begun regular physical activity and who report non-specific low back pain are enrolled. Participants provide written informed consent after receiving detailed information about the purpose of the study, the tests to be performed, and the exercise protocol. Sampling and randomization Convenience sampling is used to identify eligible participants, followed by simple random allocation to one of the two exercise groups: the core endurance exercise group or the segmental stabilization exercise group. Allocation is 1:1. Interventions Both exercise programs are delivered three days per week for six weeks. Segmental stabilization group: exercises target the transversus abdominis and lumbar multifidus and comprise stabilization exercises in the quadruped position, transversus abdominis activation exercises in the supine position with the knees flexed, lumbar multifidus activation exercises in the prone position, and standing postural control exercises involving co-activation of the transversus abdominis and lumbar multifidus.
Core endurance group: exercises are performed under the supervision of a certified physiotherapist and comprise the front plank, the side plank, and the superman plank.
Each exercise consists of 20 repetitions with a 15-second isometric hold per repetition.
The set is repeated twice, with a 3-minute rest between sets. In the front plank the participant is supported on the forearms and toes, with the shoulders aligned over the elbows and the trunk and lower limbs maintained in a straight line, producing simultaneous activation of the abdominal and paraspinal muscles. In the side plank the participant is supported on one forearm with the body held in a straight line, the shoulder aligned with the elbow and the pelvis lifted from the floor, targeting the oblique muscles. In the superman plank the participant lies prone with the arms extended overhead and simultaneously lifts the upper and lower limbs from the floor, producing trunk extension and targeting the lumbar extensor muscles. Outcome assessment Assessments are performed at baseline (week 0) and at the end of the six-week program (week 6). Demographic information including age, sex, and sports history is recorded.
Functional status and pain are assessed with the Micheli Functional Scale, dynamic balance with the Star Excursion Balance Test, and core muscle endurance with clinical endurance tests. Variables The independent variable is the type of exercise program (core endurance exercises versus segmental stabilization exercises). The dependent variables are pain level, core muscle endurance, and dynamic balance performance. Statistical analysis Normality of distribution is assessed with histogram curves and the Shapiro-Wilk test, and homogeneity of variance with the Levene test. Parametric or non-parametric tests are selected accordingly. Analyses are performed with IBM SPSS Statistics 20. Independent samples t-tests are used to compare demographic characteristics between groups. Multivariate analysis of variance is used to evaluate between-group and within-group changes, with time (baseline and post-intervention measurements) as the within-subject factor and group as the between-subject factor. Where a statistically significant difference is found, post-hoc analyses are performed with the Tukey test. Change scores between groups are also compared with independent samples t-tests.
2,922 studies on the registry are indexed under Low Back Pain; 580 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 60 is close to the median of 60 across 2,364 interventional studies indexed under Low Back Pain.
Browse Low Back Pain studies →Uskudar University is the lead sponsor of 170 studies on the registry; 36 are open to participants now.
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Participants perform a core endurance exercise program consisting of the front plank, the side plank, and the superman plank, three days per week for six weeks under physiotherapist supervision. Each exercise consists of 20 repetitions with a 15-second isometric hold, repeated for two sets with a 3-minute rest between sets.
Other: Core endurance exercise program · Other: Segmental stabilization exercise program
Participants perform a segmental stabilization exercise program targeting the transversus abdominis and lumbar multifidus, three days per week for six weeks under physiotherapist supervision. The program comprises quadruped stabilization exercises, supine transversus abdominis activation with the knees flexed, prone lumbar multifidus activation, and standing postural control exercises involving co-activation of both muscles.
Other: Core endurance exercise program
Supervised isometric core endurance training comprising the front plank, side plank, and superman plank. Each exercise: 20 repetitions of a 15-second isometric hold, two sets, 3-minute rest between sets. Three sessions per week for six weeks.
Supervised motor-control training targeting the transversus abdominis and lumbar multifidus, comprising quadruped stabilization, supine transversus abdominis activation with knees flexed, prone lumbar multifidus activation, and standing postural control with co-activation of both muscles. Three sessions per week for six weeks.
Change in low back pain and functional status (Micheli Functional Scale)
The Micheli Functional Scale is a five-item scale developed to assess low back pain related functional impairment and pain related changes in performance in athletes. It comprises one symptom question, three activity questions (extension, flexion, and jumping), and a visual analogue scale section. The symptom question is scored from 0 to 5; the activity questions are scored from 0 to 4 for extension, from 0 to 3 for flexion, and from 0 to 3 for jumping. The visual analogue scale section provides a 10-point assessment on a 10 cm line. The total score is calculated out of 25 and multiplied by 4 to produce a standardized score from 0 to 100. Lower scores indicate better functional status and higher scores indicate greater functional impairment.
Time frame: Baseline (week 0) and at the end of the six-week exercise program (week 6)
Plan to share: No — Individual participant data will not be made publicly available. De-identified data supporting the findings may be made available from the corresponding author on reasonable request, subject to institutional approval.
Started Aug 2026 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Dec 2026, 3 months after the start.
Of 1,231 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Low Back Pain, half reached primary completion within 11 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 5 and three quarters within 26. This study's planned 3 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 1,286 studies reached it within 11 months; a quarter within 5 and three quarters within 27.
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