Effectiveness Of Early Bed Mobility Exercises And Ambulation In Post Operative Cesarean Section Pain Reduction

NCT07501390 | Active Not Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 82/LRH/MTI
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 56
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of early bed mobility exercises and ambulation in reducing post-operative pain among women who undergo elective cesarean section. A randomized controlled trial will be conducted with 56 participants divided into intervention and control groups. The intervention group will receive physiotherapy exercises such as pelvic rolling, breathing exercises, and ambulation, while the control group will receive routine nursing care. Pain intensity will be assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS). The study is expected to show that early mobilization reduces pain, improves recovery, and enhances overall well-being.

Conditions

Cesarean Section; Exercise Therapy; Early Ambulation

Keywords

Pain Reduction; Postnatal Exercises; Postoperative Pain; Early Mobilization; Physiotherapy

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Change in Postoperative Pain Intensity

  Pain intensity will be measured using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), a continuous scale ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst imaginable pain), where higher scores indicate worse pain intensity.

  Baseline (within 5 hours post-surgery) and at discharge (3-5 days post-surgery)

• Time to First Ambulation

  Time to first ambulation will be defined as the time (in hours) from the end of surgery to the participant's ability to walk independently without assistance. Shorter time indicates better recovery.

  Within 24-48 hours post-surgery

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Change in Functional Recovery Status

  Baseline (post-surgery) and at discharge (3-5 days)

Study Arms (2)

Early Bed Mobility Exercises and Ambulation

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this group will receive a structured physiotherapy program starting 5 hours after cesarean section. The intervention includes pelvic rolling, leg sliding, deep breathing exercises, pursed-lip breathing, chest expansion exercises, huffing and coughing techniques, ankle pumping, abdominal wall setting, and early ambulation. Exercises will be performed 3 times daily with 10-12 repetitions per session from the day of surgery until discharge.

Procedure: Early Bed Mobility Exercises and Ambulation

Routine Postoperative Nursing Care

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants in this group will receive routine post-operative nursing care as per hospital protocol without any structured physiotherapy exercise program.

Other: Routine Nursing Care

Interventions

Early Bed Mobility Exercises and Ambulation PROCEDURE

A structured physiotherapy program initiated 5 hours after cesarean section, including mobility and breathing exercises along with early ambulation, administered multiple times daily until discharge to improve recovery and reduce post-operative pain.

Early Bed Mobility Exercises and Ambulation

Routine Nursing Care OTHER

Standard postoperative care provided according to hospital protocol without any additional structured physiotherapy or mobilization program.

Routine Postoperative Nursing Care

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 40 Years
• Sex: female
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Women undergoing elective cesarean section
• Age between 18-40 years
• Medically stable patients
• Patients admitted and staying in hospital for at least 24 hours post-surgery
• Willing to participate and provide informed consent

You may not qualify if:

• History of previous abdominal surgeries (e.g., hernia, cholecystectomy)
• Presence of comorbidities such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, or long-term steroid use
• Patients with severe postpartum complications (e.g., hemorrhage, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism)
• Patients experiencing severe nausea, dizziness, or vomiting
• Patients unable to follow instructions
• Patients unwilling to participate

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Lady Reading Hospital, Pakistan: lead

Study Sites (1)

Lady Reading Hospital

Peshawar, KPK, 25000, Pakistan

Location

Related Publications (3)

• Citak Karakaya I, Yuksel I, Akbayrak T, Demirturk F, Karakaya MG, Ozyuncu O, Beksac S. Effects of physiotherapy on pain and functional activities after cesarean delivery. Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2012 Mar;285(3):621-7. doi: 10.1007/s00404-011-2037-0. Epub 2011 Aug 10.

  PMID: 21830007 BACKGROUND

• Weerasinghe K, Rishard M, Brabaharan S, Mohamed A. Effectiveness of face-to-face physiotherapy training and education for women who are undergoing elective caesarean section: a randomized controlled trial. Arch Physiother. 2022 Feb 3;12(1):4. doi: 10.1186/s40945-021-00128-9.

  PMID: 35109917 BACKGROUND

• Weerasinghe K, Rishard M, Brabaharan S, Walpita Y. Physiotherapy training and education prior to elective Caesarean section and its impact on post-natal quality of life: a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial. BMC Res Notes. 2023 Oct 13;16(1):270. doi: 10.1186/s13104-023-06550-5.

  PMID: 37833802 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Pain, Postoperative

Interventions

Walking

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Postoperative Complications; Pathologic Processes; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Signs and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Locomotion; Movement; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena; Exercise; Motor Activity

Study Officials

• Dr Syeda Wajeeha, MS

  Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: This study will follow a single-blind design in which the outcome assessor will be blinded to group allocation. Participants and care providers will be aware of the assigned interventions, but the assessor responsible for measuring outcomes (VAS and NPRS) will remain unaware to reduce bias.
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER GOV
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor

Model Details: Participants will be randomly assigned into two groups, an intervention group receiving physiotherapy exercises (early bed mobility and ambulation) and a control group receiving routine nursing care. Both groups will be followed simultaneously and outcomes will be compared between them.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 17, 2026
• First Posted: March 30, 2026
• Study Start: March 25, 2025
• Primary Completion: December 11, 2025
• Study Completion: March 22, 2026
• Last Updated: March 30, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP, ICF, CSR, ANALYTIC CODE
• Time Frame: Data will be made available within 6 months after publication of the study results and will remain available for up to 5 years.
• Access Criteria: Access to the data will be granted to qualified researchers upon reasonable request. Requests must include a research proposal and will be reviewed by the principal investigator. Data will be shared after approval and signing of a data-sharing agreement to ensure ethical use and confidentiality.

Locations

PA (1)