Can a Six-Week exercise program rewire how young adults walk?
NCT ID NCT06944769
First seen Sep 10, 2026 · Last updated Sep 11, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
Researchers test whether a six-week program that strengthens the posterior oblique sling, a network of back and hip muscles, can improve walking speed, stride length, and cadence in young adults with muscle tightness. Participants aged 18 to 30 with tightness in the latissimus dorsi or gluteal muscles join the study. Half receive the full exercise program with myofascial release and muscle energy techniques, while the other half receive a comparison treatment. The trial measures changes in walking, muscle strength, and flexibility.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- posterior oblique sling strengthening exercises combined with myofascial release and muscle energy techniques
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple exercise program to improve walking mechanics and muscle balance in young adults with tightness in the back and hip muscles.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, short trial in healthy young adults, so results may not apply to older people or those with other conditions. The exercise program requires consistent participation, and benefits may fade without continued practice.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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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
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46 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Apr 2025
- Finished
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Feb 2026
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 to 30 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide 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 18-30 years. * Both Genders: Male and Female. * Participants either unilateral or bilateral POS tightness. * Participants had latissimus dorsi tightness indicates: * Modified rotation test (10-degree rotation difference than contralateral side) * Participants had gluteal maximus weakness indicates: * Prone hip extension test (unable to lift leg more than 15 degrees or do compensatory mechanism) Exclusion Criteria: * Participants who have pectoralis minor tightness indicates: * Pectoralis Minor Length Test (assessing the ability to flatten the posterior shoulder with posterior force applied in a supine position distance greater than 2.6 cm (1 inch) by inches tape indicate Pectoralis Minor tightness). * Diagnosed Lumbar spondylosis. * Diagnosed disc prolapse. * Diagnosed neurological deficits. * Diagnosed cerebellar or vestibular lesions impacting balance and gait. * The presence of knee, ankle, or hip pathologies that impair lower limb function. * Spine surgery within the past 12 months * Unable to understand and follow the commands
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Rawal Institute of Rehabilitation & Health Sciences (RIRH) & Rawal General & Dental Hospital. (RG&DH)
Islamabad, Capital, 45550, Pakistan
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