Can exercise boost the power of abdominal massage for constipation?
NCT ID NCT06298331
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.
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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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64 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Mar 2024
- Finished
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Jan 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 65 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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 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: * 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.
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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Ceren Gursen
Ankara, 06100, Turkey (Türkiye)
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Hacettepe University
Ankara, Turkey (Türkiye)
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