Exercise for Low Back Pain in Children (LBP)

November 5, 2008 updated by: University of Witwatersrand, South Africa

School-Based Specific Exercise Programme Reduces the Prevalence and Intensity of Low Back Pain in 12-13 Year Old Children: a Randomized Controlled Trial

This study aimed to determine the efficacy of an eight-week specific exercise programme in reducing self-reported episodes and intensity of LBP, as well as modifying some of the identified risk factors for LBP, in children.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

72

Phase

  • 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 Africa
    • Gauteng
      • Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
        • Government primary schools in the Ekurhuleni West and Johannesburg East Districts of Gauteng

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

Ages Eligible for Study

12 years to 13 years (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Children aged 12-13 years
  • Complained of LBP in the past three months

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Serious spinal pathologies or deformities (e.g. severe scoliosis, spinal tumours)
  • Neurological conditions which alter motor tone
  • Physical disabilities (e.g. spinal cord injuries) which prevent the child from being able to stand up on their own without an orthotic device or brace, or which prevent the child from taking part in normal physical education (PE) classes
  • Any other serious co-morbidities (e.g. cancer, severe lung pathology)
  • Provincial sports participants, or children who were currently following a specific training programme with a biokineticist or physiotherapist
  • Current orthopaedic procedures or fractures of the spine, pelvis, lower or upper limbs

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: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: 1. Experimental Group
Exercise Intervention Group
Other: exercise programme
Specific low back pain exercise programme for children
No Intervention: 2. Control Group
Control group - no intervention

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Low Back Pain Prevalence
Time Frame: 3 months post-intervention
All of the children complained of low back pain at baseline. Low back pain prevalence post-intervention was determined by the number of children still complaining of low back pain post-intervention.
3 months post-intervention
Low Back Pain Intensity
Time Frame: 3 months post-intervention
The visual analogue scale (standardised 100mm, non-hatched line) was used to determine pain intensity. Scores can range between 0 and 10, with the worst possible pain/score = 10 and no pain/best score = 0. Visual analogue scale is continuous.
3 months post-intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Neural Mobility
Time Frame: 3 months post-intervention
Straight leg raise test was used to measure neural mobility. The amount of hip flexion (angle between the plinth and femur of the raised leg) was measured using a digital inclinometer. Scores ranged between 3 (worst score) and 90.5 (best score). Continuous data.
3 months post-intervention
Hamstring Flexibility
Time Frame: 3 months post-intervention
Standardised hamstring muscle length test. The child was positioned in supine, with the hip flexed at 90 degrees. The knee was then extended passively. The angle of knee extension [from horizontal plane (level to plinth) to fibula] was measured using a digital inclinometer. Continuous data. Scores ranged from -20 (worst score) to 82 (best score).
3 months post-intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University of Witwatersrand, South Africa

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Gina L Fanucchi, MSc (Physio), University of Witwatersrand, South Africa

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

January 1, 2007

Primary Completion (Actual)

October 1, 2007

Study Completion (Actual)

October 1, 2007

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 14, 2008

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 5, 2008

First Posted (Estimate)

November 6, 2008

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

November 6, 2008

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 5, 2008

Last Verified

November 1, 2008

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • Fanucchi et al
  • M060334

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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