Effects of Drawing in Maneuver and Resisted Ankle Dorsiflexion in Postpartum Diastasis Recti

June 8, 2026 updated by: Riphah International University

Combine Effects of Drawing in Maneuver and Resisted Ankle Dorsiflexion on Pain, Inter-recti Distance, Strength and Quality of Life in Postpartum Diastasis Recti

The aim of this study is to compare the combine effects of drawing in maneuver and resisted ankle dorsiflexion on pain, inter-recti distance, strength and quality of life in postpartum diastasis recti.

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

Randomized controlled research will assess how drawing-in maneuver and resisted ankle dorsiflexion together affect postpartum women with diastasis recti in terms of pain, inter-recti distance, abdominal strength, and quality of life. 20-40 years females from 6 weeks to 6 months to post-partum period will be included in this study and the data will be collected from Al Zahra Hospital, Ali medical center and Sharif Medical Complex. Two groups of 42 individuals will be randomly assigned to either the drawing-in maneuver alone (Group A, n = 21) or a combination of the drawing-in technique and resisted ankle dorsiflexion (Group B, n = 21). For six weeks, the intervention will be administered twice a week to both groups. Manual muscle testing for strength, caliper measurement for IRD, the SF-36 questionnaire for quality of life and the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) for pain will all be used in baseline and post-treatment evaluations. The data will be analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 25.

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.
42

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

  • Pakistan
    • Punjab Province
      • Guiranwala, Punjab Province, Pakistan, 52250
        • Recruiting
        • Al Zahra Hospital
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Rida Zainab, MSPT(WH)

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

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Postpartum females (6 weeks to 6 months postpartum)
  • Diagnosed with diastasis recti (IRD ≥ 2.5 cm)
  • Age 20-45 years
  • Mode of delivery
  • Multiparity

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of abdominal surgery
  • Pelvic organ prolapses
  • Neurological or orthopedic disorders
  • Presence of low back pain, hernia, or musculoskeletal disorders
  • Participation in any other abdominal rehabilitation program in the last 3 months

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: Treatment
  • 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.
Experimental: DRAWING IN MANEUVER & RESISTED ANKLE DORSIFLEXION
Drawing-In Maneuver (DIM), also known as the abdominal drawing-in maneuver, which is widely recognized as a foundational exercise for deep core activation
Other: DRAWING IN MANEUVER
Each contraction will be held for 10 seconds and repeated 10 times per session. This exercise will be performed two to three times per week for six weeks
Other: RESISTED ANKLE DORSIFLEXION
They will dorsiflex the ankle, pulling the toes toward the shin against the resistance, hold for 5-10 seconds, and then return to the starting position. Each leg will complete three sets of 10 repetitions, performed two to three times weekly
Active Comparator: DRAWING IN MANEUVER
Resisted Ankle Dorsiflexion contributes to core muscle engagement through kinetic chain activation.
Other: DRAWING IN MANEUVER
Each contraction will be held for 10 seconds and repeated 10 times per session. This exercise will be performed two to three times per week for six weeks

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
Numeric Pain Rating Scale
Time Frame: 6th week
This scale examines the subjective degree of pain severity is estimated using a horizontal line on a standardized self-reporting scale. The pain level is represented by an 11-point numerical scale. There is no pain (0), mild pain (1-2-3), moderate pain (4-5-6), and severe pain (7-8-9-10).
6th week
Caliper Measurement
Time Frame: 6th week
To assess inter-recti distance at reference points (above, at, and below the umbilicus) the caliper will be used. To measure inter-recti distance 4.5 cm above and below the umbilicus (indicated with skin markings), the inside jaws of the calipers are placed between the medial edges of the right and left rectus abdominis muscles as palpated by the examiner
6th week
Manual Muscle Testing (MMT)
Time Frame: 6th week
. Manual Muscle Testing (MMT) is a widely used clinical method to evaluate the strength of individual muscles or muscle groups on a standardized 0 to 5 scale. A grade of 0 indicates no visible or palpable muscle contraction, while 1 (Trace) denotes a slight muscle flicker without any movement. A grade 2 (Poor) means the muscle can complete full range of motion only when gravity is eliminated. Grade 3 (Fair) signifies the ability to move the joint through the full range of motion against gravity, but not against any resistance. Grade 4 (Good) indicates that the muscle can perform against moderate resistance, and grade 5 (Normal) represents full strength with the ability to resist maximal manual pressure
6th week
SF-36
Time Frame: 6th week
The SF-36 (Short Form-36 Health Survey) is a validated and reliable questionnaire used to assess health-related quality of life across eight domains, including physical functioning, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, and mental health. Each domain is scored from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better quality of life
6th week

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.
Riphah International University

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.
  • Principal Investigator: hina gul, PhD*, Riphah International University

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.
October 1, 2025

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.
July 1, 2026

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.
August 1, 2026

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).
April 2, 2026

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.
April 2, 2026

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.
April 9, 2026

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.
June 9, 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.
June 8, 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.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

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.
  • REC/RCR&AHS/25/0504

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.

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