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Can exercise boost the power of abdominal massage for constipation?

NCT ID NCT06298331

Symptom relief Sponsor: Hacettepe University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Sep 15, 2026 · Last updated Sep 16, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

Researchers at Hacettepe University are testing whether adding aerobic exercise to abdominal massage helps adults with functional constipation. The trial enrolls 64 people aged 18 to 65 who have chronic constipation and no recent treatment changes. Participants are randomly assigned to receive either abdominal massage alone or massage plus an 8-week supervised walking program on a treadmill. The main measure is weekly defecation frequency, tracked with a bowel diary before and after the interventions.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
aerobic exercise training added to abdominal massage
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a low-cost, drug-free way to improve bowel habits for people with functional constipation.
What could go wrong
The trial is small and early, so results may not hold up in larger groups. Exercise and massage do not help everyone, and sticking to an 8-week program can be hard.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

64 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Mar 2024

Finished

Jan 2026

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 65 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Being between the ages of 18-65 * Diagnosed with chronic constipation according to Rome IV criteria * No new treatment for constipation in the last 3 months * Absence of any condition that would prevent compliance with the interventions and assessments in the study Exclusion Criteria: * Presence of secondary constipation ( uncontrolled metabolic disease (uncontrolled DM, hypothyroidism), hyperparathyroidism, neurologic disease or use of anticoagulants, anticholinergics, antihistamines, antipsychotics or opioids) * In individuals over 50 years of age, the presence of alarm symptoms (new-onset constipation, rectal bleeding, involuntary weight loss, nausea and vomiting, fever and anemia) * having BMI \> 30 kg/m² * having cancer diagnosis * being pregnant or breastfeeding, being within the first year postnatally * having irritable Bowel Syndrome, Hirschprung's Disease, Crohn's Disease, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Megacolon diagnosis, Megarectum diagnosis, Rectocele and enterocele stage 3 and above * presence of advanced systemic disease (e.g. cardiovascular, respiratory, renal or hepatic diseases) * history of abdomino-pelvic or gastrointestinal surgery in the last 6 months * presence of open wound, disruption of skin integrity, local tumor, cholestomy or abdominal hernia at the massage site * Presence of orthopedic (e.g. lumbopelvic pain, advanced knee joint degeneration) and cardiovascular diseases (e.g. acute coronary syndrome, stage 3-4 heart valve diseases) that may prevent aerobic exercise training

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

constipation disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Constipation

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Ceren Gursen

    Ankara, 06100, Turkey (Türkiye)

  • Hacettepe University

    Ankara, Turkey (Türkiye)

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