Gentle touch for back pain: 6-Week therapy trial aims to loosen stiff tissues
NCT ID NCT07667062
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether a 6-week program of myofascial release—a manual therapy using sustained gentle pressure on the lower back—can reduce pain and improve movement in adults with chronic non-specific low back pain. 65 participants will receive either the real therapy or a sham version. Researchers will measure changes in tissue stiffness, pain confidence, and daily function.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- myofascial release therapy (manual pressure technique)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could provide a non-drug, hands-on therapy option to ease chronic low back pain and improve daily function.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with only 65 people. The sham group may also improve, and long-term benefits are unknown. Results may not apply to everyone with back pain.
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
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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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About 65 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Jun 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Aug 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- 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 60 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: * Adults aged 18-60 years * Non-specific low back pain duration \> 12 weeks * Average pain intensity NRS ≥ 3 over the past week * Able to provide written informed consent * Able to attend 18 supervised sessions over 6 weeks (3 sessions/week) Exclusion Criteria: * Specific spinal pathology (fracture, disc herniation with neurological deficit, spinal stenosis, inflammatory arthropathy, malignancy) * Previous lumbar surgery * Current pregnancy * Severe psychiatric disorder or active psychosis * Manual therapy or physiotherapy for LBP within the previous 3 months * Systemic connective tissue disorder (e.g., Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Marfan syndrome) * Contraindication to ultrasound imaging or manual therapy.
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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.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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
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Affiliated Teaching Hospitals of University of Health Sciences Lahore
Lahore, Punjab Province, Pakistan
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