Aquatic and Land Exercises for Chronic Low Back Pain

NCT ID: NCT06874881

Last Updated: 2025-12-02

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 32 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2025-03-06
• Study Completion Date: 2025-11-28

Brief Summary

This study aims to learn about the effects of aquatic and land exercises on managing chronic low back pain in adults aged 18-65. The participants engage in a 12-week supervised land and water-based exercise program.

The main questions this study aims to answer are:

• How effective are aquatic exercises on low back pain, functional disability, Kinesiophobia, sleep quality, and overall quality of life?
• Is aquatic therapy more effective than land exercises for treating LBP or vice versa?

Conditions

Chronic Low Back Pain (Non-specific, Uncomplicated)

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Aquatic Exercise Group

The aquatic exercise session is approximately 45-60 minutes, thrice a week, for twelve weeks, 36 sessions total. They are supervised by an experienced researcher who is a qualified Physiotherapist. The one-hour session generally includes a warm-up, the main exercise session, and a cool-down period. The exercises include balance and agility training, cardio exercises, flexibility, upper and lower limb stretching and strengthening exercises, trunk rotations, etc. Additionally, the group receives back care education involving guidelines and recommendations for adopting good posture, self-management, and active lifestyle advice each week of the intervention. Also, the participants are given a participant education handbook containing all the information and resources about LBP.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Aquatic Exercises

Intervention Type: OTHER

The aquatic exercise intervention consists of structured, supervised, water-based exercises designed and delivered by an experienced physiotherapist specifically for individuals with chronic low back pain. Sessions are conducted in a temperature-controlled swimming pool with proper warm-up and cool-down. The intervention follows a progressive intensity approach with easy, medium, and hard approaches.

Land Exercise Group

The land exercise group will follow the same structured protocol as the aquatic exercise group regarding duration, frequency, and intensity.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Land Exercises

Intervention Type: OTHER

The land-based exercise intervention mirrors the aquatic exercise protocol regarding exercise type, duration, frequency, and progression but is performed on land.

Interventions

Aquatic Exercises

The aquatic exercise intervention consists of structured, supervised, water-based exercises designed and delivered by an experienced physiotherapist specifically for individuals with chronic low back pain. Sessions are conducted in a temperature-controlled swimming pool with proper warm-up and cool-down. The intervention follows a progressive intensity approach with easy, medium, and hard approaches.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Land Exercises

The land-based exercise intervention mirrors the aquatic exercise protocol regarding exercise type, duration, frequency, and progression but is performed on land.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Other Intervention Names

Aquatic Therapy; Aquatic Physical Therapy; Hydrotherapy; Water-Based Exercises; Pool-Based Rehabilitation; Aquatic Physiotherapy; Aquatic Rehabilitation; Therapeutic Water Exercise; Land-Based Exercise Therapy; Physiotherapy-Based Exercise; Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Program; Therapeutic Exercise Routine

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Age between 18 and 65
• Both Genders
• Literate in the English language to understand instructions/ to complete a self-report questionnaire.
• Having non-specific Chronic low back pain (≥12 weeks)
• Patient willingness to be a part of any randomly selected treatment groups.

Exclusion Criteria

• Pregnant Females
• If they had low back pain as the result of diagnosis of severe osteoporosis, spinal bone disorders such as spondylosis and spondylolisthesis, fractures, lumbar spine stenosis, lower limb joint replacement surgery, hip orthosis, ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis, infective or inflammatory disease, compression of the radial nerve, meningitis, arthrosis, lumbar region tumours, Leg length discrepancy, previous back surgery.
• Uncontrolled hypertension, Severe postural hypotension, any heart disease like Left heart failure or exercise-induced angina. Medical illnesses without a medical managing plan in place, e.g., uncontrolled epilepsy, diabetes mellitus. Neurologic deficit, open wounds, current or recurrent radiation treatment.
• Patients with severe depression and psychosis
• People who are already participating in an individually-prescribed exercise programme for LBP.

Aquatic exercises /Pool specific:

• Individuals with hydrophobia/ water-related anxiety, or inability to adapt to an aquatic environment.
• Allergy to chlorine, Severe limiting airway disease
• Faecal or urinary incontinence, diarrhoea, and vomiting.
• Weight more than the emergency evacuation manual handling risk assessment.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 65 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

University of Edinburgh

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Locations

St. Leonard building, The University of Edinburgh

Edinburgh, , United Kingdom

Countries

United Kingdom

Other Identifiers

NARS01072024

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id