Effects of Mackenzie and Tailored Mat Exercises in Post-Menopausal Women With Low Back Pain

February 23, 2026 updated by: Riphah International University

Comparative Effects of Mackenzie and Tailored Mat Exercises on Pain, Function and Disability in Post-Menopausal Women With Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain

Group A will receive tailored mat exercises. Group B will receive Mckenzie exercises. A baseline treatment including moist hot pack and TENS will be given to both of these groups. All these sessions will be of 45 minutes for 2 session per week for 10 weeks.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Exercise has been shown to reduce pain and improve function levels in postmenopausal women with chronic NSLBP. McKenzie method is a well-known method used in the treatment of LBP. Another method of therapeutic exercise that has shown some positive results is the Pilates method. Existing research shows that Pilates in adult women with chronic NSLBP reduces pain and disability and improves the quality of life. However, the effect of Pilates and Mckenzie exercises in postmenopausal women with chronic NSLBP remains under investigation. This study aims to examine comparative effects of Mackenzie and tailored mat exercises on pain, function and disability in post-menopausal women with chronic nonspecific low back pain and will help in providing improvements in pain and disability and hence better quality of life.

This will be a randomized Clinical trial conducted on 62 participants. Data will be collected from Combined Military Hospital Lahore, by using non-probability convenience sampling technique. Postmenopausal Women between the age of 55 to 85 with Chronic NSLBP for more than 12 weeks, a physician referral for exercise, a pain VAS score>30 mm and≤70 mm, and (TUG) test score>15 will be included in this study. Participants who are frailer, have radicular referred leg pain, radiculopathy, low back pain due to a serious pathology participation in another lower back specific exercise program in the last 6 months, participation in a previous Pilates exercise program, neurodegenerative disease, recent stroke, and cognitive impairment (Mini Mental State Exam score < 24) will be excluded from this study. A sample of 62 will be divided into two groups with 31participants in each group. Group A will receive tailored mat exercises. Group B will receive Mckenzie exercises. A baseline treatment including moist hot pack and TENS will be given to both of these groups. All these sessions will be of 45 minutes for 2 session per week for 10 weeks. Primary outcomes included will be visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ), timed up-and-go (TUG), at baseline, 10 weeks, and 6 months post-interventions. Data will be analyzed by using SPSS version 26.0.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

62

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

  • Pakistan
    • Punjab Province
      • Lahore, Punjab Province, Pakistan, 6400
        • CMH (Combined Military 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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • chronic nonspecific low back pain (more than 12 weeks)
  • Moderate pain VAS>30mm and< 70mm
  • TUG score of < 15s
  • Female who had entered menopause (menstrual periods have stopped for 12 months)
  • Stable vital signs (patient is stable and vital signs are within normal limits)
  • Multigravida

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Frailer individuals
  • Radiculopathy (signs of sensory loss, muscle weakness, reduced tendon reflexes)
  • Women suffering from pathological conditions for example cardiac disease, cancer, vertebral fracture, osteomyelitis, Rheumatoid arthritis, cauda equina syndrome) participation in another lower back specific exercise program in the last 6 months
  • Participation in a previous Pilates exercise program
  • Neurodegenerative disease (e.g., Parkinson's disease)
  • Recent stroke and cognitive impairment (Mini Mental State Exam score < 24)
  • History of recent fracture

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: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Tailored mat exercise program
The Group A will receive TENS plus moist hot pack and follow the Tailored mat exercise program for 10 weeks, two times per week, in 45-min sessions under supervision of trained physical therapist. The choice of exercises will be made based on the suggested exercises of Wood for the treatment of back pain, while the easiest versions of each exercise would be selected in order for the program to be adapted to older adults. Patient's outcomes will be measured at baseline and after 10 weeks.
Other: Tailored mat exercise program
The Group A will receive TENS plus moist hot pack and follow the Tailored mat exercise program for 10 weeks, two times per week, in 45-min sessions under supervision of trained physical therapist. The choice of exercises will be made based on the suggested exercises of Wood for the treatment of back pain, while the easiest versions of each exercise would be selected in order for the program to be adapted to older adults. Patient's outcomes will be measured at baseline and after 10 weeks.
Active Comparator: McKenzie exercises
The Group B will receive McKenzie exercises plus moist hot pack and TENS in the region of lumbar spine for 10 minutes and Mckenzie exercises of seven to ten repetitions for 45 min/session two times per week for ten weeks. Patient's outcomes will be measured at baseline and after 10 weeks
Other: McKenzie exercises
The Group B will receive McKenzie exercises plus moist hot pack and TENS in the region of lumbar spine for 10 minutes and Mckenzie exercises of seven to ten repetitions for 45 min/session two times per week for ten weeks. Patient's outcomes will be measured at baseline and after 10 weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Visual analogue Scale
Time Frame: 10th week
Pain experienced in the last 24 h will be assessed with the pain VAS. The scale is an unnumbered 100 mm line, one end of which has the phrase "no pain" and the other "maximum pain". A mark is placed by the patient at a point representing their pain level. That mark is then measured by the tester with a millimeter ruler. Each measurement of the pain VAS corresponded to pain experienced in the last week, with lower values indicating less pain. The pain VAS is the most commonly used instrument for measuring low back pain intensity and its use is indicated in older adults It has high reliability with an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.99.
10th week
Roland-Morris disability questionnaire (RMDQ)
Time Frame: 10th week
Roland-Morris disability questionnaire (RMDQ) The Greek version of the RMDQ was used to assess disability associated with low back pain in the last 24 h. This questionnaire has shown high test-retest reliability in older adults, with an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.85. The RMDQ consists of 24 items related to the daily activities patients often report having difficulty performing due to low back pain. Every positive answer earns one point; the final score is the total sum. The higher the score, the greater is the limitation
10th week
Timed up-and-go (TUG) test
Time Frame: 10th week
The TUG is a performance-based measure of functional mobility initially developed to identify mobility and balance impairments in older adults. The TUG has demonstrated high interrater and intrarater reliability when used to examine older adults (ICC=0. 99). The patient is scored based on the time required to perform the following sequence of actions: stand up from a chair, walk at their own pace a distance of 3 m to a marked spot on the floor, turn around, return to the chair and sit back down
10th week

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Riphah International University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: hina gul, MSOMPT, Riphah International University

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)

August 1, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

July 1, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

August 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 20, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 20, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

December 27, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 25, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 23, 2026

Last Verified

February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • REC/RCR&AHS/24/0527

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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