The Effect of Traction Forces in People With Obesity Suffering From Chronic Low Back Pain

NCT ID: NCT04507074

Last Updated: 2025-09-23

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

49 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2020-09-01

Study Completion Date

2024-12-30

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

The purpose of the research study is to assess the impact of traction forces on changes in systemic markers concentrations of spinal structure damage in people with obesity. The research group will include 40 subjects aged 35-60 with simple obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg / m2) and chronic lumbar spine pain syndrome.

The control group will consist of 20 subjects with normal body weight suffering from the same pain, at a similar age to the patients in the study group. Persons will be qualified for examination by a specialist in internal medicine and a physiotherapist.

To assess the degree of structural damage within the intervertebral disc and adjacent anatomical structures, patients will undergo magnetic resonance imaging of the lumbosacral spine (MRI 1.5T, standard in 3 projections). Patients will undergo traction therapy under the supervision of a physiotherapist. The application of traction forces on the traction table (ST6567P-SEERSMEDICAL) will last 30 minutes a day for 4 weeks (continuous traction mode with a maximum strength of 30% of the patient's body weight).

Twice, before and after therapy, the following will be assessed: (1) body composition (by DXA method), (2) other anthropometric indicators, (3) functional parameters of the spine: mobility (electrogoniometer), muscle bioelectric signal amplitude (electromyograph), soft tissue biophysical parameters (myotonometer), (4) pain threshold and intensity in the lumbar region (using an algometer and validated questionnaires), (5) disability caused by pain in the spine (Oswestry questionnaire), (6) blood biochemical indicators selected on the basis of the latest research on biomarkers of spinal damage (for this purpose, 25ml venous blood will be taken from the subjects).

Blood levels of interleukin-17, interleukin-4, interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-10 (IL-10), differentiating growth factor 15 (GDF-15), leptin, adipsin, chemokine CCL5 (RANTES), stem cell growth factor β (SCGF-β), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), neuropeptide Y, and chondroitin sulfate CS846 will be determined in the blood of the subjects. It is planned to assess the relationship of the studied biomarkers with the degree of disk degeneration, obesity, lean and fat body mass, pain intensity, and functional indicators of the spine. Patients will be asked to stop taking anti-inflammatory drugs during therapy and at least 24 hours prior to blood sampling.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

People suffering from obesity are particularly vulnerable to mechanical compression of the intervertebral discs, and as a result their degeneration, hernia and pressure on the nerve roots, which together cause inflammation and pain in the damaged area. This is a significant public health problem due to the 100% incidence of pain syndrome among people with obesity. The use of traction forces has beneficial effects on degenerated intervertebral discs, but there are no studies assessing the effectiveness of the traction method in relation to a group of obese people with back pain syndrome.

Beneficial biochemical changes in the blood, alleviation of pain, improvement of functional parameters of the spine are expected after application of traction forces to the patients in the mechanism of decompression of the destroyed and being in chronic inflammation intervertebral discs. Identification of biomarkers enabling to monitor the effects of therapies in patients with chronic back pain can become a contribution to change standards in the diagnosis of back pain and reorientation in its treatment to real causes.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Low Back Pain Obesity

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

NON_RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Patients With Obesity

40 subjects aged 35-60 with simple obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg / m2) and chronic low back pain.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

lumbar traction therapy

Intervention Type DEVICE

The application of traction forces on the traction table (ST6567P-SEERSMEDICAL) will last 30 minutes a day for 4 weeks (continuous traction mode with a maximum strength of 30% of the patient's body weight).

Normal-Weight Patients

20 subjects aged 35-60 with normal body weight (BMI ≤ 24.9 and ≥ 18.5 kg/m2) suffering from chronic low back pain.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

lumbar traction therapy

Intervention Type DEVICE

The application of traction forces on the traction table (ST6567P-SEERSMEDICAL) will last 30 minutes a day for 4 weeks (continuous traction mode with a maximum strength of 30% of the patient's body weight).

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

lumbar traction therapy

The application of traction forces on the traction table (ST6567P-SEERSMEDICAL) will last 30 minutes a day for 4 weeks (continuous traction mode with a maximum strength of 30% of the patient's body weight).

Intervention Type DEVICE

Other Intervention Names

Discover alternative or legacy names that may be used to describe the listed interventions across different sources.

lumbar traction

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

1. Written consent to participate in the study,
2. Age: 35 - 60 years,
3. Obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg / m2) or normal weight (BMI 18,5-29,9 kg/m2),
4. Stable body weight in the last month ± 2 kg,
5. Chronic low back pain.

Exclusion Criteria

1. Secondary form of obesity;
2. Serious neurological defects (including large muscle losses, sensory disturbances in a large area of the lower limb, occurrence of cauda equina syndrome);
3. Surgery, post-accident mechanical injuries, history of spine fractures;
4. History of rheumatic disease (RA, ankylosing spondylitis, systemic lupus);
5. Osteoporosis;
6. Pain located in a location other than the spine which is more severe than the low back pain;
7. Poorly controlled type 2 diabetes;
8. Poorly controlled hypertension (mean systolic blood pressure\> 140mmHg and / or average diastolic blood pressure\> 90mmHg) during the last month and / or the necessity of modification of pharmacological treatment;
9. Lipid disorders requiring the introduction of pharmacological treatment in the last 3 months before observation or during observation;
10. Acute coronary event, unstable angina, stroke or transient cerebral ischemia in the last 6 months;
11. Features of heart failure in physical examination and / or additional tests (chest X-ray, echocardiography);
12. Clinically significant arrhythmias, conduction disorders, pacemaker implantation;
13. Fainting in an interview,
14. Chronic kidney disease with creatinine clearance \<60mL / min / 1.73m2;
15. Clinically significant liver dysfunction (transaminases exceeding 3 times the normal range);
16. Acute or chronic, clinically apparent inflammatory process of the respiratory tract, inflammatory processes of the genitourinary system, inflammatory process in the head and neck;
17. Acute infection in the last month;
18. Cancer;
19. Alcohol abuse, drug addiction;
20. Pregnancy;
21. Uncontrolled mental illness that may falsify test results;
22. Other conditions which may pose any risk to the patient during the observation.
Minimum Eligible Age

35 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

60 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

Poznan University of Physical Education

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Marzena Ratajczak

assistant professor

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Marzena Ratajczak, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Poznan University of Physical Education

Małgorzata Waszak, PhD

Role: STUDY_CHAIR

Poznan University of Physical Education

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

Poznan University of Physical Education

Poznan, , Poland

Site Status

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

Poland

References

Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.

Chow DHK, Yuen EMK, Xiao L, Leung MCP. Mechanical effects of traction on lumbar intervertebral discs: A magnetic resonance imaging study. Musculoskelet Sci Pract. 2017 Jun;29:78-83. doi: 10.1016/j.msksp.2017.03.007. Epub 2017 Mar 20.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 28347933 (View on PubMed)

Omarker K, Myers RR. Pathogenesis of sciatic pain: role of herniated nucleus pulposus and deformation of spinal nerve root and dorsal root ganglion. Pain. 1998 Nov;78(2):99-105. doi: 10.1016/S0304-3959(98)00119-5.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 9839819 (View on PubMed)

Maciaszek J, Skrypnik D, Ratajczak M, Stemplewski R, Osiński W, Bogdański P, Mądry E, Walkowiak J, Karolkiewicz J. Two aerobic exercise programs in management of back pain among middle-aged obese women: A randomized controlled study. Human Movement. 2016; 17(2): 72-79.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Weber KT, Satoh S, Alipui DO, Virojanapa J, Levine M, Sison C, Quraishi S, Bloom O, Chahine NO. Exploratory study for identifying systemic biomarkers that correlate with pain response in patients with intervertebral disc disorders. Immunol Res. 2015 Dec;63(1-3):170-80. doi: 10.1007/s12026-015-8709-2.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 26440592 (View on PubMed)

Tarabeih N, Shalata A, Trofimov S, Kalinkovich A, Livshits G. Growth and differentiation factor 15 is a biomarker for low back pain-associated disability. Cytokine. 2019 May;117:8-14. doi: 10.1016/j.cyto.2019.01.011. Epub 2019 Feb 15.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 30776685 (View on PubMed)

Sowa GA, Perera S, Bechara B, Agarwal V, Boardman J, Huang W, Camacho-Soto A, Vo N, Kang J, Weiner D. Associations between serum biomarkers and pain and pain-related function in older adults with low back pain: a pilot study. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2014 Nov;62(11):2047-55. doi: 10.1111/jgs.13102. Epub 2014 Nov 3.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 25367206 (View on PubMed)

Ratajczak M, Wendt M, Sliwicka E, Skrypnik D, Zielinski J, Kusy K, Krutki P, Waszak M. Subjective assessment and biochemical evaluation of traction therapy in women with chronic low back pain: does body mass index matter? A clinical study. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2023 Mar 16;24(1):196. doi: 10.1186/s12891-023-06300-5.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 36927409 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

PoznanUPhyEd no. 3

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

More Related Trials

Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.