Think your way to less back pain? new study tests imagined exercises
NCT ID NCT07285824
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This pilot study tests whether simply imagining doing back extension exercises can reduce pain and improve movement in 40 adults with chronic low back pain who prefer extension. Participants will lie down and mentally rehearse press-up movements guided by a script. The study measures changes in pain, disability, and fear of movement after a single session.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Motor imagery-based lumbar extension (imagined exercise without physical movement)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a new, low-fear way to manage low back pain for people who find physical exercise too painful or scary.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small pilot study (40 people) with no control group, so results may not be reliable or apply to everyone. The effect may be small or short-lived.
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 40 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Dec 2025
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Nov 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 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: Age 18 to 65 years Presenting to outpatient physical therapy with low back pain (LBP) Able to read and understand English No red flags identified during review of systems and initial physical therapy evaluation No prior spinal surgery Demonstrates a positive response to extension-based directional preference testing Willing and able to provide written informed consent Exclusion Criteria: Age younger than 18 or older than 65 Inability to read or understand English Presence of red flags during review of systems (e.g., suspected fracture, malignancy, infection, cauda equina symptoms) History of spinal surgery No demonstrable directional preference for extension during evaluation Any condition that the evaluating clinician determines would preclude safe participation Declines to participate or is unable to provide informed consent
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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 official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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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.
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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