New combo therapy aims to ease chronic back pain without drugs
NCT ID NCT03270631
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether adding movement control exercises and fascial manipulation to standard multidisciplinary rehab can improve function and reduce pain in people with chronic low back pain. 250 adults will be randomly assigned to different combinations of real or sham treatments. Researchers will track changes in disability, pain, and fear of movement over 12 months.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- movement control exercises and fascial manipulation
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a more effective physical therapy approach for chronic low back pain, reducing disability and fear of movement.
- What could go wrong
- This is a relatively small, early-stage trial comparing several sham treatments, so results may not be definitive or widely applicable. The benefits may be modest.
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 250 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Aug 2017
- Expected to finish
-
May 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
-
Children (under 18), adults (18 to 64) and older adults (65 and over)
- 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 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: * Chronic non-operatively treated low back pain or pain after the low back operation. Participation in multidisciplinary rehabilitation at University Hospital of Oulu. Exclusion Criteria: * Specific low back pain cause and earlier fascial manipulation treatment given.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Low back pain are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
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.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
-
A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
University Hospital of Oulu
Oulu, 90029, Finland
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Radiofrequency device tested as Add-On for stubborn back pain
- Back muscles hold clues for treating recurrent low back pain
- Skip the GP? physiotherapy first for back pain put to the test
- Is your back pain making you breathe too fast? scientists investigate the link
- Can yoga ease back pain when recovery looks unlikely?
- Can a second injection target the source of stubborn back pain?