An interventional study of Core stabilisation exercises + usual physiotherapy care and Usual physiotherapy care + general exercise programme in Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain, sponsored by University of West Attica. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in Greece. Open to participants aged 65 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-29.
Sponsored by University of West Attica · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
This research aims to investigate the effect of a core stabilization exercise programme, combined with usual physiotherapy care, on balance in older adults, aged over 65 years with chronic non-specific low back pain. Participants will be randomly allocated to either an intervention group, receiving the core stabilization exercise programme additional to usual physiotherapy care, or a control group receiving usual physiotherapy care, combined with a general mobility and strengthening exercise programme. Participants will be assessed at baseline, after 12 weeks (3 months), and at a 6-month follow-up.
This study will investigate the effect of a progressive core stabilisation programme combined with usual physiotherapy care on balance in older adults with chronic non-specific low back pain. Participants will be randomly allocated to one of two groups.
The intervention group will receive a core stabilisation programme in combination with usual physiotherapy care. The exercise programme will focus on activation, motor control and strength of trunk muscles, and the exercises will be performed in supine, prone, quadruped, sitting, and standing positions.
The control group will receive usual physiotherapy care and an additional general exercise programme, that will include mobility, strengthening, stretching and low-to-moderate walking exercises.
Participants will undergo assessments at three points. Specifically at baseline (T0), after completion of the 12 week intervention (T1), and at 6 months after the completion of intervention (T2). The assessments will be performed by an independent assessor, blinded to group allocation, in order to minimize assessment bias.
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 →University of West Attica is the lead sponsor of 31 studies on the registry; 13 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.
Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.
Cancer (malignancy)
Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.
Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants will receive a progressive core stabilization exercise programme combined with usual physiotherapy care. The intervention will be delivered twice per week for 12 weeks. Each intervention session will last approximately one hour.
Other: Core stabilisation exercises + usual physiotherapy care
Participants will receive a general exercise programme combined with usual physiotherapy care. The intervention will be delivered twice per week for 12 weeks. Each intervention session will last approximately one hour.
Other: Usual physiotherapy care + general exercise programme
The core stabilization exercise programme will include activation, motor control and strengthening exercises targeting the deep and superficial trunk muscles. The programme will consist of exercises such as abdominal drawing-in maneuver, camel-cat exercise, bird dog, dead bug, bridges, modified front and side planks. The intervention will be individually progressed according to functional capacity and exercise tolerance. The duration of the exercise programme per session will be approximately 20-25 minutes, additional to approximately 5 minutes of warm-up and 5 minutes of cool-down. The usual physiotherapy care will include joint and soft-tissue mobilisation, myofascial release techniques, superficial heat, low-frequency TENS, postural education, ergonomic advice and advice relevant to the maintenance of physical activity. This component of the intervention will be the same for both groups.
Participants will receive usual physiotherapy care including interventions commonly used for the management of chronic low back pain. These will include joint and soft-tissue mobilisation, myofascial release techniques, superficial heat, low-frequency TENS, postural education, ergonomic advice and advice regarding physical activity. This component of the intervention will be the same for both groups. To ensure comparable overall treatment duration between groups, participants will perform approximately 20 minutes of general mobility and strengthening exercises for the spine and upper and lower limb, as well as stretching exercises, additional to moderate intensity walking exercises. This exercise programme will not include specific core stabilisation exercises or balance exercises.
Berg Balance Scale
The Berg Balance Scale (BBS) is a 14-item standardized clinical assessment tool used to evaluate functional balance in older adults. It assesses static and dynamic balance during functional activities, including transfers, standing balance, turning, and single-leg stance. Each item is scored from 0 to 4, with a higher total score indicating better balance performance.
Time frame: Baseline (T0) to 12 weeks (T1), additional assessment at 6 months (T2)
Timed Up and Go
The Timed Up and Go test is used to assess functional mobility and dynamic balance. The participant has the instruction to stand up from the chair, walk 3 meters, turn, return to the chair and sit down. The total time needed to complete the task is recorded.
Time frame: Baseline (T0) to 12 weeks (T1), additional assessment at 6 months (T2)
Single Leg Stance test
The Single Leg Stance test is used to assess static postural balance. The duration of the participant's ability to maintain a single leg stance withoout external support wll be recorded.
Time frame: Baseline (T0) to 12 weeks (T1), additional assessment at 6 months (T2)
Sit to Stand test
The Sit-to-Stand test will be used for the assessment of the functional lower limb strength and dynamic balance. Participants will perform a repeated sit to stand task. The time required to complete the task will be recorded.
Time frame: Baseline (T0), 12 weeks (T1), additional assessment at 6 months (T2)
Oswestry Disability Index
The Oswestry Disability Index is a subjective outcome measure used to assess functional disability associated with low back pain. The outcome is expressed as a percentage, with higher scores indicating greater disability.
Time frame: Baseline (T0) to 12 weeks (T1), additional assessment at 6 months (T2)
SF-36 Health Survey
The SF-36 Health Survey is a subjective, patient-reported, measure of health, related to the quality of life, that includes multiple subscales of physical and mental health.
Time frame: Baseline (T0) to 12 weeks (T1), additional assessment at 6 months (T2)
Stabilizer Pressure Biofeedback
Trunk stabilization performance will be assessed with a Stabilizer Pressure Biofeedback device. The procedure will include two standardized tests. In the first test, the device will be positioned beneath the participant's abdomen in the prone position at an initial pressure of 70 mmHg. The participant will perform an abdominal drawing in maneuver, in purpose to reduce the pressure by 10 mmHg and to maintain this position for as long as possible. In the second test, the device will be positioned beneath the lumbar spine in the supine position at an initial pressure of 40 mmHg. The participant will perform a posterior pelvic tilt, aiming to increase the pressure by 10 mmHg and to maintain this position for as long as possible. For both test, the duration for which the participant is able to maintain the target peressure will be recorded.
Time frame: Baseline (T0) to 12 weeks (T1), additional assessment at 6 months (T2)
Start is estimated for Oct 2026; primary completion for Jul 2029, 33 months later.
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 33 months is above that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 1,286 studies reached it within 11 months; a quarter within 5 and three quarters within 27.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Sep 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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