Comparison of the Effectiveness of Two Different Squat Exercises in Healthy Individuals

August 11, 2026 updated by: Doç.Dr.Ömer Şevgin, Uskudar University

Effects of Two Different Squat Exercise Patterns on Low Back Pain, Pressure Pain Threshold, Balance and Jump Performance in Young Adult Healthy Individuals

The aim of our study is to compare the effects of two different squatting patterns, with and without the knees passing the toes, on low back pain, muscle strength and balance.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

A total of 60 volunteer participants between the ages of 18-30, who are in the active category of the International Physical Activity Assessment Questionnaire Short Form, are planned to be included in the study. Individuals participating in the study will be divided into 3 groups using using unrestricted (simple) randomization. A random number was generated for each participant with the random-number functions of Microsoft Excel and participants were ordered by that number and assigned to the three groups. No blocking or stratification was used and no formal allocation-concealment mechanism (such as sequentially numbered, opaque, sealed envelopes) was implemented. Group I (n=20); squatting with the knees passing the toes (PI), Group II (n=20); squatting with the knees not passing the toes (PG) and Group III (n=20); control group (CG). Squatting with the knees passing the toes (PI); squatting with the knees not passing the toes (PG) will be applied to the study groups as a home program for 6 weeks and will be checked with an exercise diary. Participants will be re-evaluated at the end of the exercise program. No training program will be applied to the control group and they will be asked to continue their daily lives and participants will be evaluated at 6-week intervals. The training program of 1 set; 20 repetitions; 30 seconds active contraction/30 seconds rest is applied to the PI and PG groups 3 days a week, every other day for 6 weeks. The training program of the groups is monitored by a physiotherapist for 6 weeks via telerehabilitation technologies. All participants will be evaluated for back pain, knee pain, pressure pain threshold, low-back-related disability, self-reported knee function, dynamic balance, perceived exertion, and vertical-jump flight time, function and balance before and at the end of the program and the data obtained will be recorded.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

60

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

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

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Being between the ages of 18-30,
  • According to International Physical Activity Questionnaire - Short Form Being physically active
  • Not having any psychological, neurological, orthopedic and rheumatic disorders,
  • Not having a history of fractures or surgeries affecting the lower extremities in the last year,
  • Being able to do at least one traditional squat exercise
  • Being able to communicate in Turkish (written and verbal) Exclusion criteria
  • Being pregnant or suspected of being pregnant
  • Knee valgus diagnosis
  • Pes planus or pes cavus diagnosis in the foot
  • Hip rotation diagnosis
  • Strength deficit between two extremities
  • A physician-diagnosed painful knee condition of recent onset
  • Regular medication use or use of NSAIDs and similar disease-modifying drugs in the last month
  • Intra-articular injection (hyaluronic acid/steroid) application in the last 6 months
  • Having a comorbid disease that contraindicates exercise (advanced osteoporosis, vertigo, neurological diseases, etc.)

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: knee past toes squat
A squatting program with the desired characteristics will be applied
Other: Squat with knees over toes
Participants are instructed to stand comfortably with feet pelvis-width apart and approximately 15-30° to the side with arms extended in front of them. Participants are asked to squat to their most comfortable point, looking straight ahead, without heels leaving the floor, and to hold the position for 2 seconds before returning to the original standing position. The distance between the hips and the floor is measured vertically using a ruler for squat depth. Three trials are performed and the average of the three trials is used for further analysis.
Experimental: knee not past toes squat
A squatting program with the desired characteristics will be applied
Other: Squat where the knee does not pass the toes
In the limited squat exercise, the position of the most anterior part of the knee is not allowed to extend beyond the toes. In the limited squat exercise, a wooden board is placed just distal to the first toe of each foot, and the 60 cm wide wooden board restricts knee movement. Participants are instructed to stand comfortably with their feet pelvis-width apart and approximately 15-30° to the side, and their arms extended in front of them. Participants are asked to squat to 90° of knee flexion, looking straight ahead, without the heels leaving the floor, and to hold the position for 2 seconds, then return to the original standing position. Squat depth is determined by measuring 90° of knee flexion using a goniometer placed on the knee and measured vertically between the hip and the floor using a ruler. Three trials are performed, and the average of the three trials is used for further analysis.
Active Comparator: control
No Intervention
Other: control
Participants will not be subjected to any intervention and will not be asked to perform any action.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Oswestry Disability Index
Time Frame: 6 weeks (baseline and immediately post-intervention)
It was developed to evaluate the degree of loss of function in low back pain. Items question pain severity, self-care, lifting and carrying loads, walking, sitting, standing, sleeping, degree of pain change, travel and social life. Under each item there are six statements in which the patient ticks the one appropriate to his/her situation. The first statement is scored as "0" and the sixth statement is scored as "5". When the total score is calculated, it is multiplied by two and expressed as a percentage. The maximum score is "100" and the minimum score is "0". As the total score increases, the disability level also increases.
6 weeks (baseline and immediately post-intervention)
Y balance test
Time Frame: 6 weeks (baseline and immediately post-intervention)
The test is a practical functional test that can predict dynamic balance and postural stability. The player's performance improves with balance, flexibility, coordination and power integration. For this test, players stand in the center of a 'Y' shaped arrangement with 3 lines drawn at certain angles. The players are asked to reach in anterior, posterolateral and posteromedial directions using one foot. Three applications are made in each direction and the average of the reach distances is recorded in centimeters. Pre-measured leg length is used to normalize the mean score of these three treatments. Percentage of maximum reach = deflection distance/leg length. Leg length; Spina iliaca anterior superior to the distal point of the medial malleolus. To obtain an overall measure of the Y Balance Test, data from all directions must be averaged to calculate the composite score.
6 weeks (baseline and immediately post-intervention)
International Physical Activity Questionnaire - Short Form
Time Frame: 6 weeks (baseline and immediately post-intervention)
This questionnaire is a standardized tool for measuring physical activity, developed by researchers from various countries with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Questionnaire, four areas of physical activity; It covers work, transportation, housework/gardening, and leisure activities, but also includes questions about time spent sitting as an indicator of inactivity. In each of the four areas, the energy expended in moderate and vigorous activities in the last 7 days, the number of days the activities were performed, and the number of activities performed during the day are recorded. The times are multiplied by the Metabolic Equivalent (MET) values per activity, and the results for all items are added to form the overall physical activity score. The question about sitting is not included in the physical activity score. Classification is made in three categories as physically inactive (3000 MET min/week).
6 weeks (baseline and immediately post-intervention)

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Uskudar University

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Amirkiya Movahhedi, Bahcesehir 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)

March 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

May 1, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

May 15, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 19, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 19, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

February 25, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

August 14, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 11, 2026

Last Verified

August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • Uskudar23

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

The anonymized participant-level dataset is available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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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