Impact of Core Muscle Training on Incisional Hernia and Pain After Abdominal Surgery

April 28, 2026 updated by: Insel Gruppe AG, University Hospital Bern
The current practice to avoid incisional hernia, one of the most frequent complications following abdominal surgery, is to minimize core muscle activity in the postoperative phase. However, there is no evidence to support the association of core muscle activity and increased incidence of incisional hernia. On the contrary, it is likely that reduced physical activity could lead to physical deconditioning, chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP), and sarcopenia. The investigators will conduct a prospective multicentric randomized clinical trial to compare standard of care to core muscle exercises targeting the abdominal muscles immediately postsurgery. The principle hypothesis is that neither specific exercises of core muscles before and after surgery nor physical restriction alter the incidence of incisional hernias. Secondly the impact of postoperative rehabilitation on CPSP and sarcopenia will be assessed.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

The current practice to avoid incisional hernia, one of the most frequent complications following abdominal surgery, is to minimize core muscle activity in the postoperative phase. Therefore the patients are instructed not to bear or lift weights and to limit physical activities in the first 8-12 weeks after surgery. However, there is no evidence to support the association of core muscle activity and increased incidence of incisional hernia. On the contrary, it is likely that reduced physical activity and deconditioning of the core muscles is associated with muscle catabolism, which may lead to physical deconditioning, chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP), and sarcopenia. CPSP is primarily a major burden in terms of reduced quality of life and resource utilization whereas sarcopenia in addition is increasingly recognized as an important independent risk factor for numerous adverse clinical outcomes and mortality.

The investigators will conduct a prospective multicentric randomized clinical trial to compare standard of care to core muscle exercises targeting the abdominal muscles immediately postsurgery. The principle hypothesis is that neither specific exercises of core muscles before and after surgery nor physical restriction alter the incidence of incisional hernias. Secondly the impact of postoperative rehabilitation on CPSP and sarcopenia will be assessed. The patients will be divided into two study arms, one receiving standard of care and the other receiving the intervention. The intervention consists of four specific core muscle exercises to perform daily during the first two months after surgery. Follow-up will be at two, twelve and twenty-four months with clinical examination and ultrasound to detect incisional hernias, assessment chronic postsurgical pain and its treatment and evaluation of muscle mass on CT scans.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
588

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Germany
      • Koblenz, Germany, 56070
  • Switzerland
      • Bern, Switzerland, 3010
      • Lausanne, Switzerland, 1010
        • Recruiting
        • CHUV, University Hospital of Lausanne
        • Contact:
      • Solothurn, Switzerland, 4500
        • Withdrawn
        • Bürgerspital Solothurn
    • Canton of Solothurn
      • Olten, Canton of Solothurn, Switzerland, 4600
        • Terminated
        • Kantonsspital Olten

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

14 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. At the University Hospital of Bern, Kantonsspital Solothurn and Olten and BundeswehrZentralkrankenhaus Koblenz:

    • Informed Consent as documented by signature (Appendix Informed Consent Form)
    • Age > 18 years
    • Capable of judgment
    • Undergoing elective or emergency abdominal surgery
    • Laparoscopic or open surgery, midline or transverse incision

  2. At the University Hospital of Lausanne:

    • Informed Consent as documented by signature (Appendix Informed Consent Form)
    • Age > 18 years
    • Capable of judgment
    • Undergoing elective open abdominal surgery
    • Midline or transverse incision

Exclusion criteria (in all four participating centres):

  • Inability to follow the procedures of the study, e.g. due to language problems, psychological disorders (chronic depression, under antidepressants or neuroleptics), dementia, etc. of the participant
  • Enrolment of the investigator, his/her family members, employees and other dependent persons
  • Neuromuscular diseases (such as myasthenia gravis or wheelchair-bound patient)
  • Preexisting chronic pain disorder, patients under chronic opioid therapy (WHO II and III) or pain modulating drugs (antidepressive medication or antiepileptic medication)
  • End-stage disease
  • Patients with preexisting abdominal wall mesh, with the exception of inguinal mesh (after inguinal hernia repair)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
No Intervention: Control group
The patients in the control group will receive standard physiotherapy and will be instructed to limit core muscle activity and weight bearing according to their pain symptomatology. Standard physiotherapy for all hospitalised patients includes early mobilization and exercises to prevent thrombosis and pulmonary complications (atelectasis, pneumonia, diaphragmatic deconditioning), balance training and endurance and exercise training
Experimental: Intervention group
The patients in the intervention group will be given exercises to perform postoperatively.They will be instructed by a physiotherapist in how to perform the four specific exercises targeting core muscles. The patient will perform these exercises daily during hospitalization under the supervision of the physiotherapist and then at home for two months after the operation. The intensity of the exercises will be adjusted daily to the physical capabilities of the patient. They will also benefit from standard physiotherapy as described above.
Other: Physiotherapy
4 specific core muscle exercises, targeting abdominal muscles, to be performed daily from postoperative day one to 2 months postsurgery.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Incidence of incisional hernia 24 months postsurgery
Time Frame: 24 months postsurgery
Incidence of incisional hernia diagnosed by ultrasound and clinical examination
24 months postsurgery

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Incidence of Chronic postsurgical pain
Time Frame: 2 months, 12 months, 24 months after surgery
Abdominal pain assessment by Visual Analog Scale (VAS). VAS score ranges from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst possible pain). The mean VAS in the last 24 hours will be documented.
2 months, 12 months, 24 months after surgery
Exercise
Time Frame: 2 days after surgery, at discharge, 2 months after surgery
Exercise type and number of repetitions
2 days after surgery, at discharge, 2 months after surgery
Length of hospital stay
Time Frame: End of hospital stay, expected to be up to 4 weeks
Length of hospital stay
End of hospital stay, expected to be up to 4 weeks
Readmission rate
Time Frame: 2 months, 12 months, 24 months after surgery
Hospital readmission
2 months, 12 months, 24 months after surgery
Re-operation rate
Time Frame: 2 months, 12 months, 24 months after surgery
Re-operation
2 months, 12 months, 24 months after surgery
Incidence of Sarcopenia
Time Frame: 2 months and 24 months after surgery
Muscle mass as assessed by comparing preoperative and postoperative CT scans in subgroup of patients who underwent these examinations for other medical reasons
2 months and 24 months after surgery

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Insel Gruppe AG, University Hospital Bern

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Study Director: Guido Beldi, MD, Department for visceral surgery, University Hospital Bern, Inselspital, Switzerland

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
May 20, 2019

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 31, 2030

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 31, 2030

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
January 15, 2019

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 16, 2019

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
January 17, 2019

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
May 5, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 28, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 2018-00958

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Exercise

Clinical Trials on Physiotherapy

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings