Effects of Lumbar Stabilization Exercises Versus Muscular Chain Therapy in Patients With Mechanical Chronic Low Back Pain

April 5, 2026 updated by: Ibadat International University, Islamabad

Effects of Lumbar Stabilization Exercises Versus Muscular Chain Therapy on Pain and Functional Disability in Patients With Mechanical Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to compare the effectiveness of lumbar stabilization exercises and muscular chain therapy on reducing pain intensity and functional disability in patients with mechanical CLBP.

  • Participants will be randomly assigned to two groups:
  • Group A: Lumbar stabilization exercises
  • Group B: Muscular chain therapy (posterior sagittal muscle chain)

Outcomes will be assessed at baseline and on week 6 to evaluate which exercise program is more effective in reducing pain and improving functional outcomes.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

42

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

Study Locations

  • Pakistan
      • Islamabad, Pakistan
        • Recruiting
        • Faculty of Allied Health & Biological Sciences
        • Contact:

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

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients aged between 18-30 years will be included in the study.
  • Participants must have a history of mechanical CLBP.
  • The pain must be localized to the lumbar region.
  • Participants must be able to perform physical activities and participate in exercise-based interventions.
  • Participants who have pain range > 4 will be included in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patient with structural lesions, such as spondylolisthesis, stenosis, vertebral bone fracture, scoliosis and kyphosis on x-ray, will be excluded.
  • Pregnant females would be excluded.
  • Females with a history of neurological, infections, and systemic disease, including cerebrovascular disease, spondylitis, cancer, spinal cord disease, cauda equine, rheumatologic disorders.
  • Females who have undergone spinal surgery or any surgical intervention related to the lower back or pelvis will be excluded.
  • Lumbar radiculopathy will be excluded in the study.

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: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Lumbar Stabilization Exercises
Participants will receive lumbar stabilization exercises (Abdominal drawing-in maneuver, Pelvic tilts, Bridging exercise), Repetitions: 10-15 reps per exercise- Sets: 2-3 sets per exercise, Rest Between Sets: 30-45 seconds.
Other: Lumbar Stabilization Exercises
Participants will receive lumbar stabilization exercises (Abdominal drawing-in maneuver, Pelvic tilts, Bridging exercise), Repetitions: 10-15 reps per exercise- Sets: 2-3 sets per exercise, Rest Between Sets: 30-45 seconds.
Experimental: Muscular Chain Therapy
  1. Straightening the lumbar spine while maintaining hip neutrality and preventing knee flexion.
  2. Hip flexion while avoiding lumbar flexion. Static holds: 3-5 repetitions per posture, Hold Duration: 2-3 minutes initially, progressing to 5 minutes ,Rest Interval: 1-2 minutes between repetitions
Other: Muscular Chain Therapy
  1. Straightening the lumbar spine while maintaining hip neutrality and preventing knee flexion.
  2. Hip flexion while avoiding lumbar flexion. Static holds: 3-5 repetitions per posture, Hold Duration: 2-3 minutes initially, progressing to 5 minutes ,Rest Interval: 1-2 minutes between repetitions

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pain Intensity
Time Frame: Assessment will be done at baseline and on Week 6.
Pain Intensity will be measured by Numerical Pain Rating Scale
Assessment will be done at baseline and on Week 6.
Functional Disability
Time Frame: Assessment will be done at baseline and on Week 6
Functional Disability will be assessed using Oswestry Disability Index
Assessment will be done at baseline and on Week 6

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Ibadat International University, Islamabad

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Muhammad Nazim Farooq, PhD-PT, Ibadat International University

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)

February 4, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

May 30, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

June 15, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 5, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 5, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

April 13, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 13, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 5, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • IIUI/RERC/ADT/2026/01/223

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

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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