An interventional study of Hypopressive-core stabilization exercises combined with whole-body vibration and hypopressive and core stabilization in Postpartum Pelvic Girdle Pain, sponsored by University of Management and Technology Lahore. Active, not recruiting at 1 site in Pakistan. Open to female participants aged 22 Years to 40 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-11-05.
Sponsored by University of Management and Technology Lahore · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
Pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain is one of the most frequent musculoskeletal complications of pregnancy and the postpartum period. Its prevalence during pregnancy ranges between 20% and 70%, and about 10% of women still have symptoms beyond three months after delivery (persistent postpartum pelvic girdle pain). It limits walking, stair-climbing, prolonged standing, lifting and turning in bed, just when the demands of caring for a newborn are highest. Hypopressive exercise combines diaphragmatic apnea with a costal expansion manoeuvre to co-activate the transversus abdominis and pelvic floor muscles, core stabilization restores lumbopelvic neuromuscular control, and whole-body vibration (WBV) enhances recruitment of trunk and pelvic stabilizers. However, the combination of these approaches has not yet been investigated in postpartum pelvic girdle pain. This randomized clinical trial will compare hypopressive-core stabilization with WBV (Group A) against hypopressive-core stabilization alone (Group B) on pain, mobility and disability. Thirty postpartum women (15 per group) will be recruited by convenient sampling from physiotherapy centers in Lahore and randomly allocated using sealed opaque envelopes. Both groups will attend 3 supervised sessions per week for a total of 8 weeks (24 sessions), each preceded by a moist hot pack for 15 minutes. Each session combines progressive hypopressive postures with core stabilization exercises (squats, bridge and push-up positions); in Group A the core exercises are performed on a vibrating platform at 25 Hz and 2 mm amplitude. Pain (NPRS), pelvic girdle disability (PGQ) and functional mobility (Timed Up and Go) will be measured by a blinded assessor at baseline, end of week 4 and end of week 8. The whole study will be completed within 8 months after synopsis approval. The findings can assist physiotherapists in implementing evidence-based treatment strategies and contribute to better maternal health outcomes for postpartum women.
10,054 studies on the registry are indexed under Pain; 1,649 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 30 is below the median of 66 across 8,493 interventional studies indexed under Pain.
Browse Pain studies →University of Management and Technology Lahore is the lead sponsor of 39 studies on the registry; 20 are open to participants now.
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Postpartum women aged 22 to 40 years. Pain located between the posterior iliac crest and the gluteal fold, with or without spread to the back of the thigh and/or the pubic symphysis.
Between 6 weeks and 12 months after delivery (puerperium recovery phase). Pain that gets worse with weight bearing, climbing stairs, turning in bed, walking, or parting the legs.
Delivered vaginally. Pain score of 3 to 6 on the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS). At least 3 of 5 standard clinical tests positive (Posterior Pelvic Pain Provocation, Active Straight Leg Raise, FABER, Gaenslen's, and pelvic compression/distraction), confirming pelvic girdle dysfunction.
Pelvic Girdle Questionnaire (PGQ) score of 28/75 or higher, indicating at least moderate disability.
between 18 and 35.4 kg/m².
Exclusion Criteria:
Nerve-related pain that can mimic pelvic girdle pain (for example, lumbar disc herniation or radiculopathy).
History of pelvic fracture or severe pelvic trauma, or sciatica due to osteoporosis or other bone disease.
Low back pain or pelvic pain that was already present before the index pregnancy.
Current pregnancy. Any systemic, metabolic, neurological, or psychiatric condition that would interfere with participation, or active .
Acute deep vein thrombosis, recent pelvic or abdominal surgery, uncontrolled cardiovascular disease, or implanted electronic devices.
Inflammatory joint disease such as ankylosing spondylitis or rheumatoid arthritis.
Lumbar spine pathology such as disc herniation, nerve root compression, or spondylolisthesis
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.
Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.
Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.
What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.
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.
Clinically significant
Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
BMI (body mass index)
Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.
What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Group A (HCS + WBV): Hypopressive-core stabilization exercises combined with whole-body vibration. The hypopressive part uses progressive postures (lying, sitting, kneeling, quadruped, and standing) with diaphragmatic breathing and breath-holds (apnea) that build from 15 to 30 seconds, in 30-minute sessions. The core part uses squats, bridge, and push-up positions on a vibrating platform at 25 Hz and 2 mm amplitude, held for 30 seconds in weeks 1-4 and 60 seconds in weeks 5-8, with two repetitions and 30 seconds of rest between them. Each session includes a 5-minute warm-up and cool-down
Other: Hypopressive-core stabilization exercises combined with whole-body vibration
Group B (HCS only): The same hypopressive and core stabilization programme, with identical exercises, repetitions, and progression, but performed without any vibration
Other: hypopressive and core stabilization
Group A (HCS + WBV): Hypopressive-core stabilization exercises combined with whole-body vibration. The hypopressive part uses progressive postures (lying, sitting, kneeling, quadruped, and standing) with diaphragmatic breathing and breath-holds (apnea) that build from 15 to 30 seconds, in 30-minute sessions. The core part uses squats, bridge, and push-up positions on a vibrating platform at 25 Hz and 2 mm amplitude, held for 30 seconds in weeks 1-4 and 60 seconds in weeks 5-8, with two repetitions and 30 seconds of rest between them. Each session includes a 5-minute warm-up and cool-down.
Group B (HCS only): The same hypopressive and core stabilization programme, with identical exercises, repetitions, and progression, but performed without any vibration
Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS)
A simple 11-point scale where participants rate their current pain from 0 to 10. 0 means no pain; 1-3 is mild pain (nagging, annoying, interfering little with daily activities); 4-6 is moderate pain (interferes significantly with daily activities); and 7-10 is severe pain (disabling, unable to perform daily activities
Time frame: baseline after 8 week
Pelvic Girdle Questionnaire (PGQ)
The first condition-specific questionnaire for women with pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain. It has 25 items scored from 0 to 3: 20 on activity limitations and 5 on symptoms, for a maximum of 75. The total is converted to a percentage, where 0% means no disability and 100% means severe disability. It has high reliability (ICC 0.93 for activity, 0.91 for symptoms) and is recommended as a primary outcome measure in this population
Time frame: baseline after 8 week
Timed Up and Go (TUG) test
The participant stands up from a standard armchair (about 46 cm high) on the command "go," walks 3 metres at a brisk pace, turns, walks back, and sits down. The time is recorded in seconds. The test is a brief measure of functional mobility. Use the same standardized procedure at each assessment and interpret results alongside the participant's symptoms and other outcome measures.
Time frame: baseline after 8 week
Plan to share: Yes
Supporting information: Study protocol, Statistical analysis plan, Informed consent form
Time frame: The results data collected , de-identified individual participant data will be shared.
Access criteria: : The data can be requested from the corresponding author
Started Oct 2026 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Dec 2026, 2 months after the start.
Of 3,731 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Pain, half reached primary completion within 10 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 4 and three quarters within 23. This study's planned 2 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 3,830 studies reached it within 10 months; a quarter within 4 and three quarters within 23.
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 active, not recruiting, as verified in Oct 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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University of Management and Technology Lahore