Scar Mobilization Techniques vs Core Stability Exercises on Scar Tissue and Lumbopelvic Pain

March 31, 2023 updated by: Riphah International University

Effects of Scar Mobilization Techniques With and Without Core Stability Exercises on Scar Tissue Mobility and Lumbopelvic Pain Following Cesarean Section

The study will be a Randomized clinical trial to check the effects of scar mobilization techniques with and without core stabilization exercises on scar tissue mobility and lumbopelvic pain in females after a cesarean section suffering from back pain and restricted scar mobility. Duration of study will 6 months, convenient sampling technique used, subject following eligibility criteria from Rafiqa Medical Centre, Sargodha and Fatima Hospital, Sargodha, will randomly be allocated in two groups via lottery method, baseline assessment will be done, Group A participants will be given baseline treatment along with scar mobilization and core stabilization exercises, Group B participants will be given baseline treatment along with scar mobilization for 3 weeks. On the 5th and 9th day, the post-intervention assessment will be done via, Manual Scar mobility testing, Vancouver Scar Scale, Numeric Pain Rating Scale, and Oswestry Disability Index. 3 sessions per week will be given.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

The study will be a Randomized clinical trial to check the effects of scar mobilization techniques with and without core stabilization exercises on scar tissue mobility and lumbopelvic pain in females after a cesarean section suffering from back pain and restricted scar mobility. Duration of study will 6 months, convenient sampling technique used, subject following eligibility criteria from Rafiqa Medical Centre, Sargodha and Fatima Hospital, Sargodha, will randomly be allocated in two groups via lottery method, baseline assessment will be done, Group A participants will be given baseline treatment along with scar mobilization and core stabilization exercises, Group B participants will be given baseline treatment along with scar mobilization for 3 weeks. On the 5th and 9th day, the post-intervention assessment will be done via, Manual Scar mobility testing, Vancouver Scar Scale, Numeric Pain Rating Scale, and Oswestry Disability Index. 3 sessions per week will be given.

Scar mobilization techniques include the gentle stroking and lifting of the scar as well as moving the scar tissue in different directions. It also includes rolling, C- grip, S-grip, and ram horn mobilization of the scar tissue. These techniques are helpful to the physiotherapists to effectively remove the negative effects of poor wound healing, restore the aesthetics of visible tissues and hence improve the functioning of the fascial network, and thus also other parts of the body.

Core stabilization exercises administered to the patients after cesarean section include the posture corrective exercises, abdominal draw-in, squatting, pelvis tilting, knee to chest, flexibility, and stretching exercises and bridges.

Breathing exercises, isometric, and general mobility exercises were incorporated as baseline exercises in both groups.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

27

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

    • Punjab
      • Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan, 54700
        • Rafiqa hospital

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

20 years to 40 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 20 -40 years.
  • Lower segment transverse incision technique used.
  • Minimum 6 weeks postnatal.
  • Completely healed Scar.
  • Limited scar mobilization in any direction or lifting.
  • No complications after the surgery.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Women with an abdominal hernia.
  • Multiple births.
  • Skin irritation or infection at the scar site.
  • Diastasis Recti Abdominis
  • History of abdominal surgery other than cesarean section.

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
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Group A: scar mobilization and core stabilization exercises group
Group A will perform exercises for 3 weeks. Participants will perform core stabilization exercises as well as scar mobility exercises. All exercises will be performed in 3 sessions per week for a period of 3 weeks.

Scar mobilization techniques include the gentle stroking and lifting of the scar as well as moving the scar tissue in different directions. It also includes rolling, C- grip, S-grip, and ram horn mobilization of the scar tissue.

Core stabilization exercises administered after cesarean section include the posture corrective exercises, abdominal draw-in, squatting, pelvis tilting, knee to chest, flexibility and stretching exercises, and bridges.

Core stabilization exercises
Active Comparator: Group B: scar mobilization techniques group

Group B will perform scar mobilization exercises for 3 weeks along with baseline treatment.

All exercises will be performed in 3 sessions per week for a period of 3 weeks.

Scar mobilization techniques include the gentle stroking and lifting of the scar as well as moving the scar tissue in different directions. It also includes rolling, C- grip, S-grip, and ram horn mobilization of the scar tissue.

Core stabilization exercises administered after cesarean section include the posture corrective exercises, abdominal draw-in, squatting, pelvis tilting, knee to chest, flexibility and stretching exercises, and bridges.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Manual Scar mobility testing
Time Frame: up to 3 weeks
The physiotherapist evaluates the appearance and mobility of a healed scar. Mobility is checked by placing the hand or fingertips on or around it. By moving the scar in different directions, the skin's displacement in relation to the fascia is checked. Apart from the free movement of the scar in all directions in the frontal plane, lifting should also be possible.
up to 3 weeks
Vancouver Scar Scale
Time Frame: up to 3 weeks
The VSS evaluates only 4 physical scar features-pigmentation, vascularity, pliability, and height-and the rater assigns an ordinal value for each feature Each feature has word descriptions for all possible options to help the rater assign a proper value. The values translate into numeric scores, which are then summed into an overall score ranging from 0 to 13 points.
up to 3 weeks
Numeric Pain Rating Scale
Time Frame: up to 3 weeks
The NPRS is a segmented numeric scale in which the respondent selects a whole number (0-10 integers) that best reflects the intensity of his/her pain. The common format is a horizontal bar or line. NPRS is anchored by terms describing pain severity extremes
up to 3 weeks
Oswestry Disability Index
Time Frame: up to 3 weeks
The Oswestry Disability Index is considered the 'gold standard' of low back functional outcome tools. It has 10 different sections. For each section the total possible score is 5. If all 10 sections are completed the score is calculated and interpreted in percentage measures.
up to 3 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

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

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)

April 20, 2022

Primary Completion (Actual)

October 30, 2022

Study Completion (Actual)

November 30, 2022

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 21, 2022

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 26, 2022

First Posted (Actual)

May 2, 2022

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 3, 2023

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 31, 2023

Last Verified

March 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • REC/Lhr/22/0504 Anam

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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