Heat therapy tested for postpartum tummy troubles
NCT ID NCT07419399
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a single 20-minute session of radiofrequency diathermy (a type of heat therapy) can improve pain sensitivity, heat perception, and tissue elasticity in postpartum women with and without abdominal muscle separation (diastasis recti). 48 women will receive either real or sham treatment and be assessed right after and 20 minutes later. The goal is to see if the body responds differently to the heat depending on whether the muscles are separated.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Radiofrequency diathermy (RFD)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a non-invasive way to ease discomfort and improve tissue healing in postpartum women with abdominal muscle separation.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study (48 participants) looking only at immediate effects after a single session. It cannot tell us about long-term benefits or whether RFD is better than no treatment.
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 48 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Mar 2026
- Expected to finish
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Mar 2029
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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20 to 45 years
- Sex
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Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Age between 20 and 45 years old. * BMI between 18.5 and 29.9 kg/mw. * Postpartum period between 6 months and 1 year Additionally, in the group of women with RAD, pathological RAD will be defined as an inter-rectus distance greater than 2.2 cm (measured 3 cm above the navel), according to the criteria of Beer et al. (2009) Exclusion Criteria: * Previous surgeries involving the abdominal wall. * Cesarean deliveries. * Women diagnosed with chronic pain
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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.
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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Faculty of Physiotherapy. University of Valencia
RECRUITINGValencia, Valencia, 46022, Spain
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