Low Back PainNCT05939609
Hamstring Viscoelasticity and Low Back Pain
A study testing Ballistic Stretching Exercise, Extender Exercise and Kinesiotaping in people with Low Back Pain and Athletic Injuries, run by Istanbul Nisantasi University at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye).
Trial summary
Low back pain (LBP) is a prevalent issue among adolescent rowers, particularly males aged 14 to 16 years, with a high lifetime prevalence (94%) and point prevalence (65%). One of the mechanisms of lower back pain in rowing athletes is about the elasticity, stiffness and tone of the hamstring muscle. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 14 to 18 years, men onlyHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Low Back Pain, Athletic Injuries
- What is being tested?
- Ballistic Stretching Exercise, Extender Exercise and Kinesiotaping
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 60 participants
- Where
- 1 siteTurkey (Türkiye)
- Study dates
- 1 Aug 2023to 1 May 2024
- 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 14 to 18 years
- Men only
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child, Adult
Who may be able to join
- Being between ages 14 and 18 and male gender
- Having been rowing at an elite level for at least one year with a professional team
- Having pain 3/10 or higher on NPRS
- Participating to the study in a voluntary basis.
Who cannot join
- Having limitation in lower extremity range of motion that limits completion of interventions
- Having a musculoskeletal injury involving the lower extremity in the last 6 months.
- Having undergone a operation in the last 6 months.
- Failing to complete any of interventions.
- Wanting to quit from study.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
Turkey (Türkiye)1 site
İstanbul Nisantasi University
Istanbul, Maslak, 34398
About this study
Official title: Effect of Hamstring-targeted Physiotherapy on Low Back Pain and Muscle Viscoelastic Properties in Elite Adolescent Rowers: A Single-blind Randomized Controlled Trial
Low back pain (LBP) is a prevalent issue among adolescent rowers, particularly males aged 14 to 16 years, with a high lifetime prevalence (94%) and point prevalence (65%). One of the mechanisms of lower back pain in rowing athletes is about the elasticity, stiffness and tone of the hamstring muscle.
Current literature shows that stretching exercises, strengthening exercises and kinesiotaping affects hamstring viscoelasticity in various ways. Stretching exercises affect hamstring muscle tone and elasticity, strengthening exercises affect muscle stiffness and kinesiotaping affects muscle tone. While the effects of each of these interventions on viscoelastic properties individually are examined in the literature, studies comparing the effects of changes in viscoelastic properties caused by these interventions on low back pain, athletic disability index and athletic performance in rowers and their superiority among each other are lacking.
The goal of this study is to change the viscoelasticity of the hamstring muscles and examine its effect on low back pain, disability index and athletic performance.
Read the detailed description
Volunteer male elite rowing athletes between the ages of 14 and 18 who score 3/10 or higher on the Numeric Pain Rating Scale at the time of activity will be included in the study. Signed voluntary consent will be obtained from participants and their legal representatives. Participants will be divided into three groups. Study groups will be as follows: a) ballistic hamstring stretching exercise b) hamstring extender exercise c) kinesiotaping
- Conditions
- Low Back Pain, Athletic Injuries
- Being tested
- Ballistic Stretching Exercise, Extender Exercise, Kinesiotaping
- Keywords
- Ballistic Stretching, Athletic Tape, Eccentric Exercise, Low Back Pain, Athletic Performance
- Medical subject headings
- Low Back Pain, Athletic Injuries
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Ballistic Stretching ExerciseOther
It will be applied 4 times per week for 12 weeks.
Extender ExerciseOther
It will be applied 4 times per week for 12 weeks.
KinesiotapingOther
It will be applied 4 times per week for 12 weeks.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Ballistic Stretching Exercise | Active comparator | Athletes will be asked to reach the floor by leaning over in the standing posture without knee flexion. When they feel the tension in hamstring muscle groups, athletes will be requested to make small rebounding motion at degrees between 3°-5° for half a minute. Receives: Other: Ballistic Stretching Exercise |
| Extender Exercise | Active comparator | Athletes will lie on his back. Then, athletes will be asked to do 90 degrees of knee and hip flexion at the same time. Finally, the athletes is expected to perform slow repetitive knee extension to the point of maximal possible extension. According to Askling et al. and Aspetar protocol, it will be applied 12 repetitions and 3 sets. Receives: Other: Extender Exercise |
| Kinesiotaping | Active comparator | Kinesio taping will be applied to the hamstring muscle in the direction of inhibition with a Y-shaped and 25% tension force. Receives: Other: Kinesiotaping |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Frequency of Biceps Femoris Muscle
The tones of muscle is described by frequency of muscle or oscillation frequency (Hz). It will be examined by the MyotonPro, Tallinn, Estonia.
Measured: change from baseline frequency at 12 weeks
Frequency of Semitendinosus Muscle
The tones of muscle is described by frequency of muscle or oscillation frequency (Hz). It will be examined by the MyotonPro, Tallinn, Estonia.
Measured: change from baseline frequency at 12 weeks
Stiffness of Biceps Femoris Muscle
Stiffness of muscle is described by reaction to contraction or forces from outside of tissue that may cause the original form to deteriorate. It will be examined by the MyotonPro, Tallinn, Estonia.
Measured: change from baseline frequency at 12 weeks
Stiffness of Semitendinosus Muscle
Stiffness of muscle is described by reaction to contraction or forces from outside of tissue that may cause the original form to deteriorate. It will be examined by the MyotonPro, Tallinn, Estonia.
Measured: change from baseline frequency at 12 weeks
Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS)
The NPRS is a segmented numeric version of the visual analog scale (VAS) in which a respondent selects a whole number (0-10 integers) that best reflects the intensity of his/her pain. The 11-point numeric scale ranges from '0' representing one pain extreme (e.g. "no pain") to '10' representing the other pain extreme (e.g. "pain as bad as you can imagine" or "worst pain imaginable").
Measured: change from baseline pain at the time of activity at 12 weeks
Secondary outcomes (2)
Standing Long Jump Test (SLJT)
It is a horizontal jump test that measures anaerobic performance.
Measured: change from baseline performance level at 12 weeks
2K-rowing test
It is an ergometer test that measures 2,000 meter rowing time and power output as a gold standard.
Measured: change from baseline performance time at 12 weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted11 Jul 2023
- Study start1 Aug 2023
- Primary completion1 Feb 2024
- Study completion1 May 2024
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (7)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Low Back PainStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
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
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Participants will be divided into three groups with equal numbers by computer randomization method.
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 60 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Istanbul Nisantasi University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa, Yeditepe University
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Onur Atakan Sekibağ, Istanbul Nisantasi University
- Investigators
- Onur Atakan Sekibağ, MSc, Study director, Istanbul Nisantasi University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05939609
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- AtakanS
- Status last verified
- Jan 2026
- First submitted
- 1 Jul 2023
- Last updated
- 30 Jan 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
Noormohammadpour P, Hosseini Khezri A, Farahbakhsh F, Mansournia MA, Smuck M, Kordi R. Reliability and Validity of Athletes Disability Index Questionnaire. Clin J Sport Med. 2018 Mar;28(2):159-167. doi: 10.1097/JSM.0000000000000414.
PubMed 28107217Ng L, Caneiro JP, Campbell A, Smith A, Burnett A, O'Sullivan P. Cognitive functional approach to manage low back pain in male adolescent rowers: a randomised controlled trial. Br J Sports Med. 2015 Sep;49(17):1125-31. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2014-093984. Epub 2015 Jan 24.
PubMed 25618890Yu S, Lin L, Liang H, Lin M, Deng W, Zhan X, Fu X, Liu C. Gender difference in effects of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation stretching on flexibility and stiffness of hamstring muscle. Front Physiol. 2022 Jul 22;13:918176. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2022.918176. eCollection 2022.
PubMed 35941935Almuzaini KS, Fleck SJ. Modification of the standing long jump test enhances ability to predict anaerobic performance. J Strength Cond Res. 2008 Jul;22(4):1265-72. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181739838.
PubMed 18545179Severini G, Holland D, Drumgoole A, Delahunt E, Ditroilo M. Kinematic and electromyographic analysis of the Askling L-Protocol for hamstring training. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2018 Dec;28(12):2536-2546. doi: 10.1111/sms.13288. Epub 2018 Sep 26.
PubMed 30171776Askling CM, Tengvar M, Tarassova O, Thorstensson A. Acute hamstring injuries in Swedish elite sprinters and jumpers: a prospective randomised controlled clinical trial comparing two rehabilitation protocols. Br J Sports Med. 2014 Apr;48(7):532-9. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2013-093214.
PubMed 24620041van Dyk N, Bahr R, Burnett AF, Whiteley R, Bakken A, Mosler A, Farooq A, Witvrouw E. A comprehensive strength testing protocol offers no clinical value in predicting risk of hamstring injury: a prospective cohort study of 413 professional football players. Br J Sports Med. 2017 Dec;51(23):1695-1702. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2017-097754. Epub 2017 Jul 29.
PubMed 28756392
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 30 Jan 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Effect of Hamstring-targeted Physiotherapy on Low Back Pain and Muscle Viscoelastic Properties in Elite Adolescent Rowers: A Single-blind Randomized Controlled Trial
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05939609
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- AtakanS
- Conditions
- Low Back Pain, Athletic Injuries
- Keywords
- Ballistic Stretching, Athletic Tape, Eccentric Exercise, Low Back Pain, Athletic Performance
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 60 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Istanbul Nisantasi UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa, Yeditepe University
- Study start
- 1 Aug 2023 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 1 Feb 2024 (actual)
- Study completion
- 1 May 2024 (actual)
- First posted
- 11 Jul 2023 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Low back pain (LBP) is a prevalent issue among adolescent rowers, particularly males aged 14 to 16 years, with a high lifetime prevalence (94%) and point prevalence (65%). One of the mechanisms of lower back pain in rowing athletes is about the elasticity, stiffness and tone of the hamstring muscle.
Current literature shows that stretching exercises, strengthening exercises and kinesiotaping affects hamstring viscoelasticity in various ways. Stretching exercises affect hamstring muscle tone and elasticity, strengthening exercises affect muscle stiffness and kinesiotaping affects muscle tone. While the effects of each of these interventions on viscoelastic properties individually are examined in the literature, studies comparing the effects of changes in viscoelastic properties caused by these interventions on low back pain, athletic disability index and athletic performance in rowers and their superiority among each other are lacking.
The goal of this study is to change the viscoelasticity of the hamstring muscles and examine its effect on low back pain, disability index and athletic performance.
Detailed description
Volunteer male elite rowing athletes between the ages of 14 and 18 who score 3/10 or higher on the Numeric Pain Rating Scale at the time of activity will be included in the study. Signed voluntary consent will be obtained from participants and their legal representatives. Participants will be divided into three groups. Study groups will be as follows: a) ballistic hamstring stretching exercise b) hamstring extender exercise c) kinesiotaping
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 3
- Model description
- Participants will be divided into three groups with equal numbers by computer randomization method.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Ballistic Stretching Exercise | Active comparator | Other: Ballistic Stretching ExerciseAthletes will be asked to reach the floor by leaning over in the standing posture without knee flexion. When they feel the tension in hamstring muscle groups, athletes will be requested to make small rebounding motion at degrees between 3°-5° for half a minute. |
| Extender Exercise | Active comparator | Other: Extender ExerciseAthletes will lie on his back. Then, athletes will be asked to do 90 degrees of knee and hip flexion at the same time. Finally, the athletes is expected to perform slow repetitive knee extension to the point of maximal possible extension. According to Askling et al. and Aspetar protocol, it will be applied 12 repetitions and 3 sets. |
| Kinesiotaping | Active comparator | Other: KinesiotapingKinesio taping will be applied to the hamstring muscle in the direction of inhibition with a Y-shaped and 25% tension force. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 14 to 18 years
- Sex
- Male only
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Being between ages 14 and 18 and male gender
- Having been rowing at an elite level for at least one year with a professional team
- Having pain 3/10 or higher on NPRS
- Participating to the study in a voluntary basis.
Key exclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Having limitation in lower extremity range of motion that limits completion of interventions
- Having a musculoskeletal injury involving the lower extremity in the last 6 months.
- Having undergone a operation in the last 6 months.
- Failing to complete any of interventions.
- Wanting to quit from study.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Ballistic Stretching ExerciseIt will be applied 4 times per week for 12 weeks. | Other | Ballistic Stretching Exercise |
| Extender ExerciseIt will be applied 4 times per week for 12 weeks. | Other | Extender Exercise |
| KinesiotapingIt will be applied 4 times per week for 12 weeks. | Other | Kinesiotaping |
Primary outcome
Frequency of Biceps Femoris Muscle
Time frame: change from baseline frequency at 12 weeks
The tones of muscle is described by frequency of muscle or oscillation frequency (Hz). It will be examined by the MyotonPro, Tallinn, Estonia.
Frequency of Semitendinosus Muscle
Time frame: change from baseline frequency at 12 weeks
The tones of muscle is described by frequency of muscle or oscillation frequency (Hz). It will be examined by the MyotonPro, Tallinn, Estonia.
Stiffness of Biceps Femoris Muscle
Time frame: change from baseline frequency at 12 weeks
Stiffness of muscle is described by reaction to contraction or forces from outside of tissue that may cause the original form to deteriorate. It will be examined by the MyotonPro, Tallinn, Estonia.
Stiffness of Semitendinosus Muscle
Time frame: change from baseline frequency at 12 weeks
Stiffness of muscle is described by reaction to contraction or forces from outside of tissue that may cause the original form to deteriorate. It will be examined by the MyotonPro, Tallinn, Estonia.
Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS)
Time frame: change from baseline pain at the time of activity at 12 weeks
The NPRS is a segmented numeric version of the visual analog scale (VAS) in which a respondent selects a whole number (0-10 integers) that best reflects the intensity of his/her pain. The 11-point numeric scale ranges from '0' representing one pain extreme (e.g. "no pain") to '10' representing the other pain extreme (e.g. "pain as bad as you can imagine" or "worst pain imaginable").
2 secondary outcomes
Standing Long Jump Test (SLJT)
Time frame: change from baseline performance level at 12 weeks
2K-rowing test
Time frame: change from baseline performance time at 12 weeks
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 30 Jan 2026.
- Background: PubMed 28107217Noormohammadpour P, Hosseini Khezri A, Farahbakhsh F, Mansournia MA, Smuck M, Kordi R. Reliability and Validity of Athletes Disability Index Questionnaire. Clin J Sport Med. 2018 Mar;28(2):159-167. doi: 10.1097/JSM.0000000000000414.
- Background: PubMed 25618890Ng L, Caneiro JP, Campbell A, Smith A, Burnett A, O'Sullivan P. Cognitive functional approach to manage low back pain in male adolescent rowers: a randomised controlled trial. Br J Sports Med. 2015 Sep;49(17):1125-31. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2014-093984. Epub 2015 Jan 24.
- Background: PubMed 35941935Yu S, Lin L, Liang H, Lin M, Deng W, Zhan X, Fu X, Liu C. Gender difference in effects of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation stretching on flexibility and stiffness of hamstring muscle. Front Physiol. 2022 Jul 22;13:918176. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2022.918176. eCollection 2022.
- Background: PubMed 18545179Almuzaini KS, Fleck SJ. Modification of the standing long jump test enhances ability to predict anaerobic performance. J Strength Cond Res. 2008 Jul;22(4):1265-72. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181739838.
- Background: PubMed 30171776Severini G, Holland D, Drumgoole A, Delahunt E, Ditroilo M. Kinematic and electromyographic analysis of the Askling L-Protocol for hamstring training. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2018 Dec;28(12):2536-2546. doi: 10.1111/sms.13288. Epub 2018 Sep 26.
- Background: PubMed 24620041Askling CM, Tengvar M, Tarassova O, Thorstensson A. Acute hamstring injuries in Swedish elite sprinters and jumpers: a prospective randomised controlled clinical trial comparing two rehabilitation protocols. Br J Sports Med. 2014 Apr;48(7):532-9. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2013-093214.
- Background: PubMed 28756392van Dyk N, Bahr R, Burnett AF, Whiteley R, Bakken A, Mosler A, Farooq A, Witvrouw E. A comprehensive strength testing protocol offers no clinical value in predicting risk of hamstring injury: a prospective cohort study of 413 professional football players. Br J Sports Med. 2017 Dec;51(23):1695-1702. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2017-097754. Epub 2017 Jul 29.
- Hamstring extender exerciseLink provided by the sponsor.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
Related trials for Low Back Pain
Not yet recruitingPhase 2/3
PRP Versus NP Injections for Chronic Discogenic Low Back Pain
Discogenic Low Back Pain
Not yet recruiting
Empowering Pain Psychology Access and Collaboration (EPPAC) to Improve Treatment Engagement Among Medicaid-insured Adults With Chronic Low Back Pain
Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP)
Not yet recruiting
Gamified Home-Based Core Neuromuscular Training for Chronic Low Back Pain
Low Back Pain, Core Muscles
Not yet recruiting
Dual-Task Core Stabilization Training in Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain
Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain
Not yet recruitingPhase 2
Psilocybin-Assisted Physical Therapy in Chronic Low Back Pain
Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP), Physical Therapy
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Onur Atakan Sekibağ, MSc study director
Istanbul Nisantasi University
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Ballistic Stretching Exercise, Extender Exercise and Kinesiotaping in people with Low Back Pain and Athletic Injuries, run by Istanbul Nisantasi University at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye).
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 4 inclusion and 5 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: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 30 Jan 2026. 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 Turkey (Türkiye). 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 is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
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?
Frequency of Biceps Femoris Muscle (time frame: change from baseline frequency at 12 weeks). The study lists 5 primary outcomes in all. 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 NCT05939609, which also lists 7 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 30 Jan 2026.