Lumbar and Gluteal Motor Control in Chronic Low Back Pain

February 27, 2026 updated by: University of Castilla-La Mancha

Efficacy of a Combined Lumbar Motor Control and Gluteal Strengthening Program on Pain and Function in Chronic Non-specific Low Back Pain

The present study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an 8-week combined lumbar motor control and gluteal muscle strengthening program in individuals with chronic non-specific low back pain

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Non-specific low back pain (NSLBP) is defined as axial, non-radiating pain primarily located in the lower back, without signs of a serious underlying condition, spinal stenosis, radiculopathy, or another specific spinal cause. Its lifetime prevalence has been estimated to be as high as 84%, making it one of the most frequent reasons for medical consultation and one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. International clinical practice guidelines recommend therapeutic exercise as a first-line treatment; however, robust conclusions regarding which type of exercise provides the greatest benefit have not yet been established.

Neuromuscular control of the lumbar segment is essential both for the execution of motor tasks and for generating the forces required to stabilize the spine. NSLBP is associated with altered patterns of muscle recruitment, either as a contributing factor to pain onset or as a secondary response to pain. Specifically, altered muscle activation patterns have been observed during both static and dynamic movements, as well as in response to unexpected perturbations.

Individuals with NSLBP frequently exhibit impaired control of the deep trunk mus-cles, such as the transversus abdominis and the deep multifidus, which play a key role in maintaining spinal coordination and stability. Lumbar motor control programs aim to restore coordination, control, and functional capacity of these muscles. This is traditioally achieved by selectively training the deep trunk musculature and progressively integrating it into more complex static, dynamic, and functional tasks.

Moreover, recent studies have demonstrated a close relationship between low back pain and impaired hip motor control, particularly in the presence of reduced mobility and muscle weakness-primarily affecting the hip abductors and extensors-which leads to increased lumbar loading through compensatory mechanisms associated with altered motor patterns secondary to hip stiffness. To date, few randomized controlled trials have evaluated the effect of adding hip muscle strengthening exercises to lumbar motor control programs, and their results have been relatively heterogeneous and inconsistent. Previous studies reported no significant effects on pain or disability, most likely due to the use of unsupervised or time-limited programs, whereas others did observe improvements, although their interventions did not specifically target the transversus abdominis and deep multifidus muscles. Notably, the duration of all previously reported programs was less than 8 weeks, which is considered the minimum period required to achieve greater clinical benefits.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

54

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 Contact

Study Contact Backup

  • Name: Rubén Arroyo Fernández, Study director
  • Phone Number: +34925803600
  • Email: Ruben.Arroyo@uclm.es

Study Locations

  • Spain
    • Toledo
      • Talavera de la Reina, Toledo, Spain, 45600

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

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age between 18 and 65 years.
  • Non-specific low back pain with an intensity greater than 3/10 on a visual analogue scale.
  • Symptom duration longer than 3 months.
  • Sufficient understanding of spoken and written Spanish to adequately comprehend the intervention instructions and complete the assessments.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Severe lumbar or hip trauma within the previous 6 weeks.
  • Prior vertebral fracture or lumbar disc herniation.
  • Fibromyalgia.
  • Active oncological disease.
  • Diagnosis of a severe psychiatric disorder.
  • Pregnancy.
  • Uncontrolled rheumatologic pathology.
  • Coexisting auto-immune pathology or chronic inflammatory disease.

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: Lumbar motor control + Gluteal exercises
Combined lumbar motor control program and gluteal muscle strengthening exercises
Device: Lumbar motor control exercises
24 sessions over an 8-week period, at a frequency of three sessions per week (on alternating days -Monday, Wednesday, and Friday-); 60min/session.
Device: Gluteal strengthening exercises
Gluteal strengthening exercises will be performed in the same days as lumbar motor control program.
Experimental: Lumbar motor control
Lumbar motor control program alone
Device: Lumbar motor control exercises
24 sessions over an 8-week period, at a frequency of three sessions per week (on alternating days -Monday, Wednesday, and Friday-); 60min/session.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pain intensity
Time Frame: Baseline; inmediately after intervention.
It will be measured with a visual analog scale (VAS) of 100 millimeters in length. The subject has to indicate the level of pain he feels, being 0 the absence of pain and 100 the maximum imaginable.
Baseline; inmediately after intervention.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Functionality
Time Frame: Baseline; inmediately after intervention.
The version adapted to Spanish from the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) will be used. It comprises 10 items, each scored from 0 to 5 (from no limitation to maximum limitation). The total score (0-100%) is calculated by dividing the sum of the item scores by the maximum possible score and multiplying by 100.
Baseline; inmediately after intervention.

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University of Castilla-La Mancha

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 (Estimated)

March 2, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

May 15, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

May 29, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 27, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 27, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

March 5, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 5, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 27, 2026

Last Verified

February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • Motor control in low back pain

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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