Cure My Disease

Don't miss your cure!

 Log in / Sign up

Can a simple footstool help you poop better?

NCT ID NCT07709078

Symptom relief Sponsor: Ohio State University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

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 This study
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Jul 16, 2026 · Last updated Jul 22, 2026 · Updated 3 times

Summary

This study compares two different footstool heights (7 inches vs. 9 inches) to see if using one during bowel movements can reduce straining and improve the feeling of complete emptying in people with pelvic floor dysfunction and chronic constipation. Participants use the footstool at home for 8 weeks and complete online surveys about their symptoms. The goal is to find a simple, non-medical way to improve bowel function.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
a toilet footstool (7 or 9 inches) used during bowel movements
What this could lead to
If effective, using a simple footstool could become a low-cost, non-drug way to ease bowel straining and improve quality of life for people with pelvic floor dysfunction.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-stage study with only 50 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The benefit may be modest, and the ideal stool height is unknown.

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

About 50 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Dec 2022

Expected to finish

Jul 2026

An estimate. End dates often move.

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 years and older

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: Age 18 years or older Able to understand, read, and write English Evidence of pelvic floor dysfunction based on at least one of the following: Symptoms of excessive straining during bowel movements, feeling of incomplete evacuation, or need for digital evacuation of stool more than 25% of the time Abnormal anorectal manometry Abnormal balloon expulsion test Abnormal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) defecography or barium defecography Exclusion Criteria: Any physical, mental, or emotional condition that, in the opinion of the Principal Investigator, may pose a safety concern or interfere with study participation Prior use of a toilet footstool for defecation Currently pregnant, based on self-reported pregnancy status during screening Active cancer Current opioid use

Get updates

Get notified about this study

Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Chronic constipation are added.

Our safety recommendation!

By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use

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.

Chronic constipation Pelvic floor dysfunc

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

    Columbus, Ohio, 43210, United States

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.