Effect of Core Stability Training on Trunk Control and Sitting Balance in Patients With Paraplegia

June 3, 2026 updated by: Mohamed Ahmed Fathy Mohamed, Cairo University

Effect of Core Stability Training on Trunk Control and Sitting Balance in Patients With Paraplegia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This study aims to investigate the effect of core stability training on trunk control and sitting balance in patients with paraplegia resulting from incomplete spinal cord injury.

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.

Detailed Description

This randomized controlled trial was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of core stability training in improving trunk control and sitting balance in patients with paraplegia due to traumatic incomplete spinal cord injury. Forty-six participants diagnosed with incomplete SCI at neurological levels T6-T12 were randomly assigned into two groups. The study group received core stability training in addition to selected conventional physical therapy, while the control group received the same selected physical therapy program only.

Outcome measures included trunk control assessed by the Trunk Impairment Scale (TIS), sitting balance assessed by the Seated Functional Reach Test (SFRT) and T-shirt Test, and weight-bearing symmetry assessed using the Wii Balance Board (WBB). The study aimed to determine whether adding core stability training could significantly improve trunk control, sitting balance, and weight distribution symmetry in this population.

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.
46

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

  • Egypt
    • Giza Governorate
      • Giza, Giza Governorate, Egypt, 12613
        • Faculty of physical therapy Cairo University

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

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with traumatic incomplete SCI.
  • Neurological level between T6 and T12 according to ASIA classification.
  • Age from 25 to 35 years.
  • Ability to maintain unsupported sitting.
  • Medically stable condition.
  • Adequate cognitive ability to follow instructions.
  • Duration of injury more than six months.
  • Moderate trunk impairment (TIS score 8-14).
  • BMI less than 30 kg/m

Exclusion Criteria:

  • other neurological disorders affecting balance.
  • Uncontrolled cardiovascular conditions.
  • Active lumbar or pelvic pressure sores.
  • Orthopedic disorders affecting trunk control or sitting balance.
  • Severe spasticity interfering with sitting balance

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: None (Open Label)

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.
Active Comparator: Control Group
Participants received selected conventional physical therapy program.
Other: selected conventional physical therapy program

Patients received selected conventional physical therapy program in form of:

  1. Passive and active-assisted ROM exercises for lower limbs
  2. Upper limb strengthening exercises
  3. Conventional trunk training on stable sitting surfaces
  4. Functional sitting balance exercises
  5. Transfer and wheelchair mobility training

Treatment was conducted for about 60 minutes, three sessions per week for eight weeks
Experimental: Study Group
Participants received the same selected conventional physical therapy program in addition to Core Stability Training.
Other: selected conventional physical therapy program

Patients received selected conventional physical therapy program in form of:

  1. Passive and active-assisted ROM exercises for lower limbs
  2. Upper limb strengthening exercises
  3. Conventional trunk training on stable sitting surfaces
  4. Functional sitting balance exercises
  5. Transfer and wheelchair mobility training

Treatment was conducted for about 60 minutes, three sessions per week for eight weeks

Other: conventional physical therapy program in addition to Core Stability Training.

The core stability program consisted of progressive trunk stabilization exercises targeting deep trunk muscles. Training included:

  1. Static trunk stabilization exercises
  2. Multidirectional reaching tasks
  3. Anterior, posterior, and lateral weight-shifting activities
  4. Advanced exercises on unstable surfaces
  5. Upper limb activities combined with trunk stabilization

The sessions were divided into 40-45 minutes of selected conventional physical therapy modalities and exercises, followed immediately by 15-20 minutes of progressive Core Stability Training (CST) targeting the deep stabilizing muscles of the trunk .

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
Weight Distribution Symmetry (Wii Balance Board)
Time Frame: Baseline and after 8 weeks
Assessment of sitting weight-bearing symmetry using the Wii Balance Board by measuring the percentage of body weight distributed between the right and left sides.
Baseline and after 8 weeks
Trunk Impairment Scale (TIS)
Time Frame: Baseline and after 8 weeks
Assessment of trunk control through evaluation of static sitting balance, dynamic sitting balance, and trunk coordination. Higher scores indicate better trunk performance.
Baseline and after 8 weeks
Seated Functional Reach Test (SFRT)
Time Frame: Baseline and after 8 weeks
Assessment of dynamic sitting balance by measuring maximum forward reaching distance while maintaining sitting stability.
Baseline and after 8 weeks
T-shirt Test
Time Frame: Baseline and after 8 weeks
Functional assessment of dynamic sitting balance and trunk coordination through timed dressing performance while seated.
Baseline and after 8 weeks

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.
Cairo 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: Mohamed A Fathy, BSc, Cairo University

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.
November 30, 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.
March 14, 2026

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.
March 29, 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).
June 3, 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.
June 3, 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.
June 8, 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 8, 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 3, 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

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.
  • P.T.REC\012\006398)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

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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