An interventional study of Home Exercise Program and Telerehabilitation-Based Exercise Program in Lumbar Disc Herniation, sponsored by Hasan Kalyoncu University. Completed at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye). Open to participants aged 18 Years to 60 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-22.
Sponsored by Hasan Kalyoncu University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
This randomized controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of a telerehabilitation-based exercise program in individuals who had undergone surgery for lumbar disc herniation. Participants were assigned to a control group, a home exercise group, or a telerehabilitation group. The exercise programs started four weeks after surgery and continued for eight weeks, three days per week, with each session lasting 30-45 minutes. The home exercise group performed the exercise program independently at home, while the telerehabilitation group performed the same program under remote supervision of a physiotherapist using video calls. The control group continued their routine daily activities without participating in a structured exercise program during the study period. Pain, disability, physical activity, and health-related quality of life were assessed before and after the eight-week intervention period.
489 studies on the registry are indexed under Intervertebral Disc Displacement; 104 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 82 is above the median of 64 across 353 interventional studies indexed under Intervertebral Disc Displacement.
Browse Intervertebral Disc Displacement studies →Hasan Kalyoncu University is the lead sponsor of 165 studies on the registry; 32 are open to participants now.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Participants in the control group continued their routine daily activities and did not participate in a structured exercise program during the 8-week study period. After completion of the study, participants were offered an exercise program upon request.
Participants in the home exercise group were taught the structured exercise program by a physiotherapist at the hospital and subsequently performed the program independently at home. The program started at the end of the fourth postoperative week and was performed three days per week for 8 weeks, with each session lasting approximately 30-45 minutes.
Behavioral: Home Exercise Program
Participants in the telerehabilitation group received the structured exercise program under remote supervision of a physiotherapist. The program started at the end of the fourth postoperative week and continued for 8 weeks, three days per week, with each session lasting approximately 30-45 minutes. After initial instruction at the hospital, subsequent exercise sessions were supervised remotely via WhatsApp video calls.
Behavioral: Telerehabilitation-Based Exercise Program
Participants received instruction on the exercise program from a physiotherapist at the hospital and subsequently performed the program independently at home. The program started at the end of the fourth postoperative week and continued for 8 weeks, three days per week, with each session lasting approximately 30-45 minutes. The program included active range-of-motion exercises, shoulder circumduction, breathing exercises, walking at a target Modified Borg Scale rating of 4-6, lower-extremity stretching, quadriceps and lumbar extensor isometric exercises, and trunk extension exercises. Exercise repetitions were progressed from 8 repetitions during the first 4 weeks to 12 repetitions during the following 4 weeks.
Participants performed an 8-week telerehabilitation-based exercise program under remote supervision of a physiotherapist via video calls. The program was performed three days per week, with each session lasting approximately 30-45 minutes.
Change in Functional Disability Assessed by the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI)
The Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) assesses functional disability associated with low back pain. Scores range from 0% to 100%, with higher scores indicating greater functional disability and a worse outcome. Changes in ODI scores were assessed from baseline to the end of the eight-week intervention period.
Time frame: Baseline and 8 weeks
Pain Intensity Assessed by the Visual Analog Scale (VAS)
The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) assesses pain intensity on a scale ranging from 0 to 10, where 0 indicates no pain and 10 indicates the worst imaginable pain. Higher scores indicate greater pain intensity and a worse outcome. Changes in VAS scores were assessed from baseline to the end of the eight-week intervention period.
Time frame: Baseline and 8 weeks
Physical Activity Assessed by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ)
The International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF) assesses physical activity performed during the preceding seven days. Total physical activity is calculated using walking, moderate-intensity, and vigorous-intensity activities and expressed as metabolic equivalent task minutes per week (MET-min/week). Scores range from a minimum of 0 MET-min/week to no fixed maximum. Higher scores indicate greater levels of physical activity. Changes in total physical activity scores were assessed from baseline to the end of the eight-week intervention period.
Time frame: Baseline and 8 weeks
Health-Related Quality of Life Assessed by the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36)
The Short Form-36 (SF-36) Health Survey assesses health-related quality of life across eight domains: physical functioning, role limitations due to physical health, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, role limitations due to emotional problems, and mental health. Each domain is scored from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better health-related quality of life. Changes in SF-36 scores were assessed from baseline to the end of the eight-week intervention period.
Time frame: Baseline and 8 weeks
Plan to share: Undecided
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Ran from Dec 2024 to primary completion in Oct 2026, 22 months.
Of 180 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Intervertebral Disc Displacement, half reached primary completion within 12 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 5 and three quarters within 27. This study's 22 months is above that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 196 studies reached it within 12 months; a quarter within 6 and three quarters within 30.
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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Intervertebral Disc Displacement →