Pelvic Floor Exercises Versus Swiss Ball Exercises in Patients With Non-Specific Chronic Low Back Pain

NCT07610044 | Enrolling By Invitation DMC

• 1 other identifier: UOL/IREB/25/15/03/33
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 69
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This randomized controlled trial aims to compare the effectiveness of pelvic floor muscle exercises and swiss ball exercises in females with non-specific chronic low back pain. The study evaluates pain intensity, disability, lumbar range of motion, and core muscle endurance following different rehabilitation protocols.

Conditions

Non-specific Chronic Low Back Pain

Keywords

Chronic Low Back Pain; Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises; Swiss Ball Exercises; Core Stability; Lumbar Pain; Physiotherapy; Rehabilitation; Exercise Therapy

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in Pain Severity Measured by Revised Short McGill Pain Questionnaire-2 (SF-MPQ-2)

  Pain severity and pain quality will be assessed using the Revised Short McGill Pain Questionnaire Version-2 (SF-MPQ-2).

  Baseline and 6 weeks after intervention

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Change in Functional Disability Measured by Oswestry Disability Index (ODI)

  Baseline and 6 weeks after intervention

• Change in Lumbar Range of Motion Measured by Inclinometer

  Baseline and 6 weeks after intervention

• Change in Core Muscle Endurance Measured by Pressure Biofeedback Unit

  Baseline and 6 weeks after intervention

Study Arms (3)

Control Group (Baseline Physiotherapy)

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants will receive baseline physiotherapy treatment including heating pad application, stretching exercises, and strengthening exercises.

Other: Baseline Physiotherapy

Experimental Group (Swiss Ball Exercises + Baseline Physiotherapy)

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will receive baseline physiotherapy combined with swiss ball exercises including curl-up, bridging, and front plank exercises.

Other: Baseline Physiotherapy; Other: Swiss Ball Exercises

Experimental Group (Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises + Baseline Physiotherapy)

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will receive baseline physiotherapy combined with pelvic floor muscle exercises for core stabilization and pain reduction.

Other: Baseline Physiotherapy; Other: Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises

Interventions

Baseline Physiotherapy OTHER

Baseline physiotherapy includes heating pad application, stretching exercises, and strengthening exercises for lumbar stabilization and pain reduction.

Control Group (Baseline Physiotherapy); Experimental Group (Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises + Baseline Physiotherapy); Experimental Group (Swiss Ball Exercises + Baseline Physiotherapy)

Swiss Ball Exercises OTHER

Swiss ball exercises include curl-up, bridging, and front plank exercises performed on a swiss ball to improve core stability, balance, and muscle endurance.

Experimental Group (Swiss Ball Exercises + Baseline Physiotherapy)

Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises OTHER

Pelvic floor muscle exercises involve repeated contraction and relaxation cycles of pelvic floor muscles to improve core muscle activation, spinal support, and lumbar stability.

Experimental Group (Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises + Baseline Physiotherapy)

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 35 Years
• Sex: female
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Females aged 18-35 years
• Chronic non-specific low back pain for more than 3 months
• Restricted lumbar range of motion
• Positive straight leg raise test
• Positive femoral nerve tension test
• Positive slump test
• Willing to participate in the study

You may not qualify if:

• Previous or planned spinal surgery
• Pelvic floor surgery or abdominal surgery
• Pregnancy or postnatal period
• Urinary incontinence
• Neurological motor weakness or deformity
• Spinal stenosis
• Osteoporosis
• Disc herniation
• Degenerative or inflammatory spinal conditions

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Lahore: lead
• University of Lahore Hospital (ULH): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University of Lahore

Lahore, Punjab Province, Pakistan

Location

Related Publications (15)

• Souza MC, Jennings F, Morimoto H, Natour J. Swiss ball exercises improve muscle strength and walking performance in ankylosing spondylitis: a randomized controlled trial. Rev Bras Reumatol Engl Ed. 2017 Jan-Feb;57(1):45-55. doi: 10.1016/j.rbre.2016.09.009. Epub 2016 Oct 20. English, Portuguese.

  PMID: 28137402 BACKGROUND

• de Souza IMB, Sakaguchi TF, Yuan SLK, Matsutani LA, do Espirito-Santo AS, Pereira CAB, Marques AP. Prevalence of low back pain in the elderly population: a systematic review. Clinics (Sao Paulo). 2019 Oct 28;74:e789. doi: 10.6061/clinics/2019/e789. eCollection 2019.

  PMID: 31664424 BACKGROUND

• Custers P, Van de Kelft E, Eeckhaut B, Sabbe W, Hofman A, Debuysscher A, Van Acker G, Maes G. Clinical Examination, Diagnosis, and Conservative Treatment of Chronic Low Back Pain: A Narrative Review. Life (Basel). 2024 Aug 29;14(9):1090. doi: 10.3390/life14091090.

  PMID: 39337874 BACKGROUND

• Choi, Y., & Lee, S. (2021). Effects of pressure biofeedback application location for subjects with lumbar instability on pelvic rotation and hip joint abductor muscle activity during the Clam exercise. Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science, 10(2), 90-97.

  BACKGROUND

• Chiarotto A, Koes BW. Nonspecific Low Back Pain. N Engl J Med. 2022 May 5;386(18):1732-1740. doi: 10.1056/NEJMcp2032396. No abstract available.

  PMID: 35507483 BACKGROUND

• Casiano, V. E., Sarwan, G., Dydyk, A. M., & Varacallo, M. (2023). Back pain. In StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing.

  BACKGROUND

• Bernard S, Gentilcore-Saulnier E, Masse-Alarie H, Moffet H. Is adding pelvic floor muscle training to an exercise intervention more effective at improving pain in patients with non-specific low back pain? A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Physiotherapy. 2021 Mar;110:15-25. doi: 10.1016/j.physio.2020.02.005. Epub 2020 Mar 2.

  PMID: 32349867 BACKGROUND

• Bandy, W. D., & Lairamore, C. (2023). MEASUREMENT of RANGE of MOTION of the THORACIC and LUMBAR SPINE. Joint Range of Motion and Muscle Length Testing-E-Book: Joint Range of Motion and Muscle Length Testing-E-Book, 235.

  BACKGROUND

• Atalay E, Akova B, Gur H, Sekir U. Effect of Upper-Extremity Strengthening Exercises on the Lumbar Strength, Disability and Pain of Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Study. J Sports Sci Med. 2017 Dec 1;16(4):595-603. eCollection 2017 Dec.

  PMID: 29238262 BACKGROUND

• Arovah, N. I., Agustiningtyas, I., & Pratiwi, K. S. (2025). Concurrent and Convergent Validity of Goniometers Versus Bubble Inclinometers in Measuring Thoracolumbar Movement in Low Back Pain Patients. Medical Rehabilitation, 28(3), 27-34.

  BACKGROUND

• Amundsen PA, Evans DW, Rajendran D, Bright P, Bjorkli T, Eldridge S, Buchbinder R, Underwood M, Froud R. Inclusion and exclusion criteria used in non-specific low back pain trials: a review of randomised controlled trials published between 2006 and 2012. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2018 Apr 12;19(1):113. doi: 10.1186/s12891-018-2034-6.

  PMID: 29650015 BACKGROUND

• Altman BM. Definitions, concepts, and measures of disability. Ann Epidemiol. 2014 Jan;24(1):2-7. doi: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2013.05.018. Epub 2013 Oct 29.

  PMID: 24268996 BACKGROUND

• Aksen-Cengizhan, P., Onay, D., Sever, O., & Doğan, A. A. (2018). A comparison between core exercises with Theraband and Swiss Ball in terms of core stabilization and balance performance. Isokinetics and exercise science, 26(3), 183-191.

  BACKGROUND

• Agnus Tom A, Rajkumar E, John R, Joshua George A. Determinants of quality of life in individuals with chronic low back pain: a systematic review. Health Psychol Behav Med. 2022 Jan 5;10(1):124-144. doi: 10.1080/21642850.2021.2022487. eCollection 2022.

  PMID: 35003902 BACKGROUND

• Abdel-Aziem AA, Abdelraouf OR, El-Basatiny HMY, Draz AH. The Effects of Stabilization Exercises Combined With Pelvic Floor Exercise in Women With Nonspecific Low Back Pain: A Randomized Clinical Study. J Chiropr Med. 2021 Dec;20(4):229-238. doi: 10.1016/j.jcm.2021.12.008. Epub 2022 Apr 6.

  PMID: 35496721 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Low Back Pain

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Back Pain; Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: The outcome assessor will remain blinded to participant allocation and intervention protocols to minimize assessment bias.
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Doctor of Physical Therapy Student

Model Details: Participants will be randomly assigned into three parallel groups receiving different exercise-based physiotherapy interventions for chronic non-specific low back pain.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 17, 2026
• First Posted: May 27, 2026
• Study Start: December 11, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 11, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): October 11, 2026
• Last Updated: May 27, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-05

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

PA (1)