Effects of Combined Ciaphragmatic Breathing and Trunk Stabilization in Chronic Low Back Pain

May 6, 2026 updated by: lee kyoungju

The Effects of Combined Diaphragmatic Breathing and Trunk Stabilization Exercises on Pain, Function and Muscle Activity in Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of combined diaphragmatic breathing and trunk stabilization exercises on pain, function, and muscle activity in patients with chronic low back pain, and to compare its clinical effectiveness with trunk stabilization exercise alone.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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.

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 (Actual)

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.
30

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 Locations

  • South Korea
      • Seoul, South Korea
        • Private exercise facility

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
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Individuals with low back pain lasting at least 3 months (12 weeks)
  • Individuals with a pain intensity of 3 or higher on the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)
  • Individuals who are physically capable of performing trunk stabilization and diaphragmatic breathing exercises

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Individuals with neurological or musculoskeletal disorders
  • Pregnant individuals
  • Individuals with fractures or deformities of the spine or related areas
  • Individuals with sensory deficits
  • Individuals who engaged in activities that could affect the study results (e.g., medication use, alcohol consumption, or excessive exercise) within 24 hours prior to participation

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: Quadruple

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: The combined diaphragmatic breathing and trunk stabilization exercise group
The combined diaphragmatic breathing and trunk stabilization exercise group performed trunk stabilization exercises consisting of dead bug, bridge, side plank, and bird dog, with additional diaphragmatic breathing exercise.
Behavioral: trunk stabilization exercise
Trunk stabilization exercises consisting of dead bug, bridge, side plank, and bird dog were performed for 10 repetitions in 3 sets, while the side plank was performed for 5 repetitions with a 10-second hold for 3 sets. Rest intervals between sets were set at 1 minute.
Behavioral: diaphragmatic breathing exercise
diaphragmatic breathing exercise was performed in a crook-lying position with one hand placed on the sternum and the other on the abdomen. Participants were instructed to inhale through the nose for 5 seconds, allowing lateral expansion of the rib cage, and exhale through pursed lips for 10 seconds while minimizing chest movement. The breathing exercise was performed for 10 repetitions in 3 sets with 1-minute rest between sets.
Active Comparator: The trunk stabilization exercise group
The trunk stabilization exercise group performed trunk stabilization exercises consisting of dead bug, bridge, side plank, and bird dog
Behavioral: trunk stabilization exercise
Trunk stabilization exercises consisting of dead bug, bridge, side plank, and bird dog were performed for 10 repetitions in 3 sets, while the side plank was performed for 5 repetitions with a 10-second hold for 3 sets. Rest intervals between sets were set at 1 minute.

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
pain intensity
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 4
Pain intensity was measured using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), a 0-10 cm scale where 0 indicates no pain and 10 indicates the worst imaginable pain.
Baseline and Week 4

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
Functional disability
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 4
Functional disability was assessed using the Korean version of the Oswestry Disability Index (KODI). The total score ranges from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater disability. Disability levels are interpreted as follows: 0-20 (minimal disability), 21-40 (moderate disability), 41-60 (severe disability), 61-80 (crippled), and 81-100 (bed-bound or exaggerating symptoms).
Baseline and Week 4

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Muscle activity
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 4
Muscle activity was measured using surface electromyography (sEMG) of the rectus abdominis, external oblique, internal oblique, and erector spinae, expressed as %MVIC.
Baseline and Week 4

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.
lee kyoungju

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.
February 23, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

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.
February 23, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

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.
April 8, 2025

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 29, 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 29, 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.
May 6, 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.
May 11, 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.
May 6, 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.
May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

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.
  • SYU 2024-11-004-007

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data (IPD) will not be shared due to ethical and privacy considerations.

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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