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Low Back PainNCT01483573

Effect of Hamstring Stretching and Neural Mobilization on Range of Motion and Low Back Pain

A study testing neural mobilization and straight leg raise in people with Low Back Pain, run by University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey at 1 site in United States.

Terminated

Stopped early. The study ended before it was planned to and will not resume.

Official record
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Trial summary

This study was designed to answer 3 primary research questions: 1. In adults with low back pain, reduced SLR ROM (Range of Motion) and a positive sensitized SLR (Straight leg raise) test, does neurodynamic mobilization result in greater SLR ROM, pain reduction and perceived improvement than muscle stretching? 2. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 65 years
Conditions the study is for
Low Back Pain
What is being tested?
neural mobilization and straight leg raise
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
25 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
May 2010to Jul 2015
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 65 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Patients referred to physical therapy for low back pain with limitations in hamstring range of motion on the painful side

Who cannot join

  • Red flags

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • New York University Langone Medical Center

    New York, New York, 10016

Other trials in United States

About this study

This study was designed to answer 3 primary research questions:

  1. In adults with low back pain, reduced SLR ROM (Range of Motion) and a positive sensitized SLR (Straight leg raise) test, does neurodynamic mobilization result in greater SLR ROM, pain reduction and perceived improvement than muscle stretching?
  2. In adults with low back pain, reduced SLR ROM and a negative sensitized SLR test, does muscle stretching result in greater SLR ROM, pain reduction and perceived improvement than neurodynamic mobilization?
  3. In adults with low back and reduced SLR, does neurodynamic mobilization or muscle stretching result in greater SLR ROM, pain reduction and perceived improvement irrespective of the outcome of SLR sensitization?
Read more

The research hypotheses are threefold:

  1. Subjects determined to have nerve-related pain and ROM restrictions by a positive sensitized SLR test would benefit more from neurodynamic mobilization than muscle stretching.
  2. Subjects determined to have muscle-related pain and ROM restrictions by a negative sensitized SLR test would benefit more from muscle stretching than neurodynamic mobilization.
  3. Subjects would benefit the same from muscle stretching and neurodynamic mobilization when not matched on the outcome of the SLR sensitization.
Read the detailed description

Potential subjects will sign an informed consent and be evaluated for inclusion in the study. Subjects meeting the inclusion criteria will be asked to complete a form asking questions regarding their demographics, pain history and symptomatology. The form will also include a numeric pain rating scale to determine pain severity, and a standardized questionnaire commonly used in back pain research (i.e., the Modified Oswestry Disability Index). Subjects will then be evaluated for SLR range of motion on the side with the least amount of SLR range of motion using a bubble inclinometer.

Subjects will then be randomly assigned to receive a treatment to address hamstring length or a treatment to address sciatic nerve restrictions. A second researcher who is blinded to the results of the data obtained pre-treatment will administer the treatment. Hamstring stretching will consist of positioning the subject's hip in flexion and knee in extension, and holding this position for 30 seconds. This treatment will be repeated 5 times. Nerve mobilization will consist of either momentarily positioning the hip in flexion, the knee in extension and the ankle in dorsiflexion, and then moving the ankle in and out of dorsiflexion at a rate of about 1 - 2 movements per second (theoretically, this should stretch the nerve), or moving the lower leg such that it is first positioned into hip extension and ankle dorsiflexion, and then into hip flexion and ankle plantarflexion (theoretically, this should glide the nerve in its sheath). The choice of technique will be made by the treating therapist. Both treatments should take approximately 4 minutes to complete.

Following this intervention, subjects will be re-evaluated for SLR range of motion using a bubble inclinometer by the same researcher who collected the pre-treatment data. During the next visit to physical therapy, this researcher will re-evaluate subjects SLR range of motion, as previously described; and pain, by the numeric pain rating scale.

Conditions
Low Back Pain
Being tested
neural mobilization, straight leg raise
Keywords
low back pain, straight leg raise
Medical subject headings
Low Back Pain

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • neural mobilizationOther

    stretch the nerve

  • straight leg raiseOther

    Also called hamstring stretching

    stretch the hamstring

Study groups in NCT01483573
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
straight leg raiseExperimentalstretch the muscle
Receives: Other: straight leg raise
neural mobilizationExperimentalstretch the nerve
Receives: Other: neural mobilization

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. range of motion

    Measured with a bubble inclinometer

    Measured: within 72 hours

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted1 Dec 2011 (estimated)
  2. Study startMay 2010
  3. Primary completionJul 2015
  4. Study completionJul 2015

Why it stopped: Insufficient recruitment over time

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Factorial
Masking
Double blind
Who is masked
Participant, Care provider
Enrolment
25 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT01483573
Sponsor's protocol ID
0120100079
Status last verified
Mar 2016
First submitted
7 Oct 2010
Last updated
22 Mar 2016
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No

Publications

  • Decoster LC, Cleland J, Altieri C, Russell P. The effects of hamstring stretching on range of motion: a systematic literature review. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2005 Jun;35(6):377-87. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2005.35.6.377.

    PubMed 16001909
  • Coppieters MW, Butler DS. Do 'sliders' slide and 'tensioners' tension? An analysis of neurodynamic techniques and considerations regarding their application. Man Ther. 2008 Jun;13(3):213-21. doi: 10.1016/j.math.2006.12.008. Epub 2007 Mar 30.

    PubMed 17398140
  • Schafer A, Hall T, Briffa K. Classification of low back-related leg pain--a proposed patho-mechanism-based approach. Man Ther. 2009 Apr;14(2):222-30. doi: 10.1016/j.math.2007.10.003. Epub 2007 Dec 31.

    PubMed 18165145
  • Schafer A, Hall T, Muller G, Briffa K. Outcomes differ between subgroups of patients with low back and leg pain following neural manual therapy: a prospective cohort study. Eur Spine J. 2011 Mar;20(3):482-90. doi: 10.1007/s00586-010-1632-2. Epub 2010 Dec 1.

    PubMed 21116662
  • Boyd BS, Wanek L, Gray AT, Topp KS. Mechanosensitivity of the lower extremity nervous system during straight-leg raise neurodynamic testing in healthy individuals. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2009 Nov;39(11):780-90. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2009.3002.

    PubMed 19881004

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing neural mobilization and straight leg raise in people with Low Back Pain, run by University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: stopped early, as of the sponsor's last update on 22 Mar 2016. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study was stopped early (reason given: Insufficient recruitment over time). Results are not available in the source record.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

range of motion (time frame: within 72 hours). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT01483573, which also lists 5 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 22 Mar 2016.

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