Effect of Intraabdominal Hypopressive Exercises on Postnatal Backache and Functional Disability (LBP)

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of hypopressive exercise in postpartum females with abnormal hyperlordosis and back pain.

Hypopressive exercises are safe and beneficial for new moms, as they can be started soon after delivery. They help strengthen postural muscles, reduce back pain, and manage pain by reducing intra-abdominal pressure, increasing activity of postural musculature, and normalizing myofascial tension.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Low Back Pain
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Hypopressive exercises , hot packs, acetaminophen, progressive strengthening exercises; Other: heat therapy, pharmacological therapy, progressive strengthening exercises

Detailed Description

38 postpartum women with abnormal hyperlordosis. The women were then divided into two equal groups. Group A(n=19) received hypopressive abdominal exercise along with traditional treatment for lower back pain (LBP), while Group B(n=19) received the same treatment without hypopressive exercise. The main outcomes measured were the the Revised Short McGill Pain Questionnaire Version-2, the lumbar lordotic angle, and the patient-specific functional scale.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 38
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Egypt
  • Kafr Ash Shaykh, Egypt
    • Kafrelsheikh University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

- participants must have a healthy pregnancy, a typical vaginal birth, LBP that existed 24 weeks after giving birth, and functional limitations in daily activities. The study only allowed women aged 20-35 with no more than two prior pregnancies and a BMI of less than 25 kg/m2 to participate.

Exclusion Criteria:

• women who under pharmacological or psychological treatment, had pelvic tumors, lumbar disk herniation, heart disease, hypertension, lumbar spine tumors, chronic uterine prolapse, chronic pelvic pain, lumbar spondylosis, or lumbar spondylolisthesis.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Group (A); Group A will receive 1. hypopressive abdominal exercises 2. traditional treatment for low back pain (Pharmacological treatment (paracetamol 0.5-1g 3times/day),Heat therapy Continuous low-level heat wrap(electrical) 3. Progressive strength training.	Other: Hypopressive exercises , hot packs, acetaminophen, progressive strengthening exercises; 20 subjects combined HE with traditional treatments for low back pain (heat therapy, medication, and progressive strength training).
Placebo Comparator: Group (B); Group B will receive 1. traditional treatment for low back pain (Pharmacological treatment (paracetamol 0.5-1g 3times/day),Heat therapy Continuous low-level heat wrap(electrical) 2. Progressive strength training.	Other: heat therapy, pharmacological therapy, progressive strengthening exercises; Hypopressive exercises :The women were instructed to hold breath with chest extension for approximately 10 seconds before they began to breathe again. Then, using a series of upper and lower limb positions, the subjects were shown how to apply a series of "hypopressive postures

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pain assessment	pain: The Revised Short McGill Pain Questionnaire will be used to assess both groups before and after the study.	Pain assessment at the end of the study up to 8 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Assessment of functional disability	The Patient-Specific Functional Scale (PSFS) will be used to assess functional changes in patients with musculoskeletal illnesses using self-reported data. Patients rated to five activities on an 11-point scale based on their current level of difficulty.	This scale will be done for each case at the end of the study up to 8 weeks

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Assessment of lumbar lordotic angle	The angle will be measured using flexible ruler once before and once after the study by the primary examiner, who repeated each measurement three times.	It will be done for each case at the end of the study up to 8 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Kafrelsheikh University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 1, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 1, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): October 1, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 14, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 5, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 5, 2025
• Last Verified: February 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: low back pain; Quality of life; postpartum
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Back Pain; Low Back Pain; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Peripheral Nervous System Agents; Sensory System Agents; Analgesics, Non-Narcotic; Analgesics; Antipyretics; Acetaminophen
• Other Study ID Numbers: Hypopressive Exercises

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: it need to have a permission from the faculty and university first

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No