An interventional study of Active Break in Musculoskeletal Pain, Flexibility and Well Being, sponsored by Julia Wegener. Completed at 1 site in Slovenia. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 65 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-08.
Sponsored by Julia Wegener · Not applicable, Interventional, and Other
This study was designed as a two-arm, parallel-group randomized controlled trial with a 1:1 allocation ratio. A total of 55 office workers were randomly allocated to an experimental group (n = 28) or a control group (n = 27). The experimental group participated in a four-week active break program, while the control group received no intervention. Participants in both groups were instructed to maintain their usual daily activities, ergonomic setups, and health routines throughout the study.
The study aimed to investigate the effects of a brief daily active break program on subjective musculoskeletal pain and spinal mobility in office workers. Assessments were conducted at baseline, after two weeks, and after four weeks to evaluate changes over the study period.
Previous research on workplace active breaks and microbreaks has primarily focused on subjective symptom questionnaires, with less emphasis on objective measurements of spinal range of motion. Furthermore, previously investigated programs have often involved activity sessions lasting ten minutes or longer, which may be difficult to incorporate into a typical working day. The present study examined whether a brief, once-daily active break program could produce measurable changes in subjective musculoskeletal pain and spinal mobility.
A total of 55 office workers were recruited through convenience sampling and randomly allocated to an experimental group (n = 28) or a control group (n = 27). The experimental group participated in the active break program for four weeks, whereas the control group received no intervention. Participants in both groups were instructed to maintain their usual daily activities, ergonomic setups, and health routines throughout the study.
Data collection included an online questionnaire and objective measurements of spinal mobility. All spinal mobility measurements were performed by a single blinded assessor. One measurement trial was conducted for each test, side, and assessment session, with values recorded to the nearest 0.1 cm. Repeated trials and averaging were not performed, and intra-rater reliability was not directly assessed.
To minimize potential immediate effects of exercise on spinal mobility measurements, participants in the experimental group were instructed to perform the active break only after the assessments scheduled for the second and third measurement sessions.
Daily activity behaviors were assessed using the Daily Activity Behaviors Questionnaire (DABQ), which evaluates sleep, sedentary behavior, light-intensity physical activity, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity during the preceding seven days. The questionnaire was completed through an online survey platform accessed using a QR code. Each participant was assigned a unique identification number to link questionnaire responses with objective measurements while maintaining participant anonymity.
Adherence to the intervention was monitored using a daily online log. Participants in the experimental group recorded both days on which the active break was completed and days on which the intervention was not completed.
The control group served as a comparison group for changes in spinal mobility over the four-week observation period without the active break intervention.
Institutional approval was obtained from all participating organizations before study initiation. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants. Information regarding study procedures, the voluntary nature of participation, and the right to withdraw at any time without providing a reason or experiencing negative consequences was provided before enrollment.
511 studies on the registry are indexed under Musculoskeletal Pain; 113 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 55 is below the median of 66 across 358 interventional studies indexed under Musculoskeletal Pain.
Browse Musculoskeletal Pain studies →This is the only study on the registry with Julia Wegener as lead sponsor.
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Exclusion Criteria:
No intervention
Active break
Other: Active Break
To ensure correct and safe execution of the exercises, the exercises were demonstrated and performed together with the participants during the initial active break, allowing them to master the techniques; in addition, they received a leaflet with written instructions, which further reduced the likelihood of incorrect performance.
Pain assessment
Pain assessment using Visual Analoge Scale; 0 = no pain, 10 = very painful
Time frame: Pain was assessed at the beginning and at the end of the 4-week active break program.
Spinal mobility results
Lumbal flexion, lateral flexion to the left and lateral flexion to the right were messured
Time frame: At the beginning, after 2 weeks and at the end of 4 week protocol
Results of General Well-Being
Validated Daily Activity Behaviours Questionnaire was used
Time frame: Validated Daily Activity Behaviours Questionnaire was used at baseline and 4-week follow-up. In addition, a set of 5 custom follow-up questions was administered at week 4, exclusively to the experimental group
Plan to share: No
Ran from Sep 2025 to primary completion in Oct 2025, 0 months.
Of 213 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Musculoskeletal Pain, half reached primary completion within 13 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 5 and three quarters within 34. This study's 0 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 226 studies reached it within 12 months; a quarter within 5 and three quarters within 33.
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 completed, as verified in Oct 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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