Efficacy of Postural Reeducation in Elite Gymnasts With Back Pain

Efficacy of Postural Reeducation in Elite Gymnasts With Back Pain. A Randomized Clinical Trial

Introduction: Low back pain is a musculoskeletal disorder that is associated with symptoms such as pain, limitation of joint range and postural problems in athletes. Postural control is a key factor in disciplines with high biomechanical demands, such as rhythmic gymnastics. In addition, the potential influence of occlusal splints on body posture has been discussed, although evidence remains inconclusive. Methods: The study design is a randomized controlled clinical trial with a minimum of 35 elite gymnasts with back pain. Two postural treatments will be implemented, Mezieres Method and Isostretching, to verify whether there is improvement in low back pain in gymnasts and to compare both procedures. Postural variables will also allow exploratory analysis of factors potentially associated with postural regulation, including the possible influence of occlusal-byte use. Discussion: This trial could generate a greater understanding of the importance of posture related to low back pain and its possible treatments. It may also contribute to clarifying the relationship between postural therapeutic approaches and other factors influencing postural control.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Back Pain; Athletic Injuries; Back Strain Lower Back
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Mezieres Postural Treatment

Detailed Description

A randomized controlled clinical trial with two groups (intervention and placebo) will be implemented. The intervention group will receive the Mezieres technique as postural treatment, while the placebo group will perform a total of six Isostretching positions. Both interventions will consist of 30-minute sessions delivered twice weekly over a 12-week period. All treatments will be administered by the same certified therapist with at least five years of experience in postural therapy. Outcome measurements will be obtained immediately after the first session, and at 2, 6, and 12 weeks. Assessments will be conducted by a blinded researcher who will not participate in the treatments and who has prior experience in postural evaluation. Postural measurements will additionally permit exploratory analyses of factors potentially influencing postural regulation, including the possible impact of occlusal-byte use.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 30
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Spain
  • Murcia, Spain, 30107
    • Universidad Católica de Murcia

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 15 years to 30 years (Child, Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Elite gymnastic athletes with low back pain
• Active participation in the national competition
• Practice at least three times a week for 60 minutes
• Minimum training time of 7 hours a week

Exclusion Criteria:

• Gymnast whom suffer from chronic disease or acute musculoskeletal injury
• Herniated disc
• Spondylolisthesis

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Triple

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Mezieres Group; This intervention includes a total of three postures of the Mézières therapy. Specifically, the postures maintained for 12 weeks consist of: supine dancer; in supine position with the upper extremities abducted 120 °; and dancer in a sitting position.	Other: Mezieres Postural Treatment; Implementation of 12 weeks suitable postures of Mezieres method
Active Comparator: Isostretching Group; This study aims to follow a total of 6 isostretching postures, the most similar to the Mezieres method. In each of the isostretching positions, if it is symmetric, 3, 6 or 9 repetitions will be performed and if it is asymmetric, 2, 4, or 8 repetitions.	Other: Mezieres Postural Treatment; Implementation of 12 weeks suitable postures of Mezieres method

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Back status	Measured with Oswestry questionaire. It consists of 10 categories. Each category consists of 6 items scored from 0 to 5 with the first statement scoring 0 until the last statement scoring 5.	12 weeks
Back disability	Measured with Roland Morris Questionaire wich consist in 24 points of back disability actual phrases	12 weeks
Range of motion	Measured with Baiobit software	12 weeks
Pain intensity	Measured with Numeric Rating Scale wich consist in measure pain intensity with a score of 0-10	12 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Subjetive tension perception	Measured with Borg Scale, which include a rating of 6 perceiving "no exertion at all" to 20 perceiving a "maximal exertion" of effort.	12 weeks
Spinal curvature evaluation	Measured with Spinal Mouse Software	12 weeks
Stiffness test	Measured with Baiobit software	12 weeks
Posture stability	Measured with stabilometry with a duration of 50 seconds with Lizard posturometric and stabilometric platform	12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Juan Martínez Fuentes, Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 14, 2022
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 16, 2022
• Study Completion (Actual): July 30, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 19, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 2, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): December 8, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 23, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 19, 2026
• Last Verified: February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Rehabilitation; Treatment; Physiotherapy; Isostretching; Postural treatment
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Wounds and Injuries; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Signs and Symptoms; Back Pain; Athletic Injuries
• Other Study ID Numbers: CE102105

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No