Cervical RadiculopathyNCT07365917
Effect of Core Stabilization Exercises on Patients With Cervical Radiculopathy
A study testing Core stabilization exercises and conventional physical therapy program in people with Cervical Radiculopathy, run by Cairo University at 1 site in Egypt.
Trial summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effect of core stabilization exercise on functional outcome and craniovertebral angle which is the angle of forward head , in adults with cervical radiculopathy. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 35 to 50 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Cervical Radiculopathy
- What is being tested?
- Core stabilization exercises and conventional physical therapy program
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 40 participants
- Where
- 1 siteEgypt
- Study dates
- 1 Feb 2026to 3 Sep 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
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 35 to 50 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Patients with Posterolateral cervical disc proplapse at level of C5-C6 and C6-C7 levels
- Neck Disability Index (NDI) score exceeding 20%.
- Neck pain of mild to moderate intensity (VAS ≥ 3).
- Their symptoms lasting for a duration exceeding six weeks
- Three out of four elements are positive in the following tests: spurling test, distraction test, upper limb tension test, shoulder abduction test.
- Body mass index should not exceed 30 kg/m².
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- Patients complaining from neck pain and unilateral radicular pain, parathesia, motor manifestations or hyporeflexia
- Their age will range from 35 to 50 years.
- Their craniovertebral angle is less than 49 degrees.
- Their mean of cervical joint position error is larger than 4.5 degrees.
Who cannot join
- Cervical mylopathy or spinal tumors
- History of cervical spine surgeries
- Cervical fractures
- Vertebrobasilar insufficiency (VBI)
- Bone Infection
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Egypt1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Faculty of Physical Therapy Cairo University
Giza
Shaimaa Mohamed Abdelmageed, Assistant Professor, 0201028202856, shaimaa.abdelmageed@pt.cu.edu.eg
About this study
Official title: Effect of Lumbar Core Stabilization Exercises on Craniovertebral Angle and Functional Outcome in Patients With Cervical Radiculopathy
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effect of core stabilization exercise on functional outcome and craniovertebral angle which is the angle of forward head , in adults with cervical radiculopathy. The main questions it aims to answer are:
- Is there a significant effect of core stabilization exercises (CSEs) on craniovertebral angle (CVA) in patients with cervical radiculopathy?
- Is there a significant effect of core stabilization exercises (CSEs) on functional outcome in patients with cervical radiculopathy? Researchers will compare effect of adding core stabilization exercises to conventional physical therapy program (TENS, hot pack, US, manual therapy and strengthening exercises) Vs conventional physical therapy program alone to see if there is a beneficial effect of adding core stabilization exercises to physical therapy program Participants in study group will perform core stabilization exercises in addition to conventional PT program while participants in control group will receive conventional PT program
- Conditions
- Cervical Radiculopathy
- Being tested
- Core stabilization exercises, conventional physical therapy program
- Keywords
- Core stabilization exercises, craniovertebral angle
- Medical subject headings
- Radiculopathy
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Core stabilization exercisesOther
participants in study group will receive 30 mins and 3 sessions per week for 4 weeks
conventional physical therapy programOther
conventional physical therapy program will include TENS, hot pack, US, manual therapy and strengthening exercises
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| control group | Active comparator | Not described Receives: Other: conventional physical therapy program |
| study group | Experimental | Not described Receives: Other: Core stabilization exercises; Other: conventional physical therapy program |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Craniovertebral angle
Craniovertebral angle ( CVA ) will be measured through lateral photography of patients. Before capturing the picture, Plastic markers will be placed on C7 vertebra and on tragus of ear. Then the picture will be uploaded to kinovea software to measure CVA by measuring the angle between a line connecting two plastic markers and the horizontal. Values more than 49 degrees are considered abnormal indicating forward head posture while values lower than 49 degrees indicate normal head position
Measured: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks
Arabic Version of Neck Disability Index (NDI)
Functional outcome will be assessed though Arabic Version of Neck Disability Index (NDI) which is a 10-item self-reported questionnaire. It measures the influence of neck pain on functioning and disability. The patient will be informed that this questionnaire had been designed to give us how your pain had affected your ability to function in daily life. Personal care, lifting, reading, work, driving, sleeping, recreational activities, pain intensity, concentration, and headache are examples of these questions. Each question is assessed on a six-point scale ranging from 0 (no disability) to 5 (major disability). The score will be calculated by adding the scores of each item together. The overall score is out of 50. The results can be expressed as a percentage by multiplying the score by two. The higher NDI score, the greater patient's perceived disability due to neck pain. The Arabic version of NDI is a strong valid method for assessing self-rated disability in patients with neck pain
Measured: from enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks
Secondary outcomes (2)
Neck Pain
Neck pain will be assessed though Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) which is used to measure the severity of neck pain. It is a straight line with one end representing no pain and the other end representing the worst imaginable pain. The subject will mark a point on the line that corresponds to the current level of pain he or she experiences. Higher values indicate higher levels of pain while lower values indicate lower levels of pain
Measured: from enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks
Cervical Proprioception
Cervical proprioception will be assessed through measurement of cervical Joint Position Error (JPE). Instruments that will be utilized are laser pointer device mounted on participant's head and a chart with a reference point at its center. the chart is positioned 90cm in front of patients. A test of repositioning to a neutral head position (NHP) will be carried out to determine JPE. Participants will move their head away from the start position at the center of the chart which is the NHP to full range and then attempt to reposition the head back to the starting point as accurately as possible while they are blindfolded. The difference between the starting position (zero) and the returning point in the plane of movement will be measured in centimeters and then converted to degrees using this formula angle = tan-1 [error distance/90 cm]. Normal cervical JPE is 4.5 degree. Higher values indicate poor cervical proprioception
Measured: from enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted26 Jan 2026
- Study start1 Feb 2026
- Primary completion3 Sep 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion3 Sep 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Cervical RadiculopathyStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Cairo UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- 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
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 40 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Cairo University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Omar Gamal Abdelbasset, Cairo University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07365917
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- P.T.REC/012/006086
- Status last verified
- Aug 2026
- First submitted
- 13 Jan 2026
- Last updated
- 25 Aug 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 25 Aug 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Effect of Lumbar Core Stabilization Exercises on Craniovertebral Angle and Functional Outcome in Patients With Cervical Radiculopathy
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07365917
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- P.T.REC/012/006086
- Conditions
- Cervical Radiculopathy
- Keywords
- Core stabilization exercises, craniovertebral angle
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 40 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Cairo UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 1 Feb 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 3 Sep 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 3 Sep 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 26 Jan 2026 (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.
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effect of core stabilization exercise on functional outcome and craniovertebral angle which is the angle of forward head , in adults with cervical radiculopathy. The main questions it aims to answer are:
- Is there a significant effect of core stabilization exercises (CSEs) on craniovertebral angle (CVA) in patients with cervical radiculopathy?
- Is there a significant effect of core stabilization exercises (CSEs) on functional outcome in patients with cervical radiculopathy? Researchers will compare effect of adding core stabilization exercises to conventional physical therapy program (TENS, hot pack, US, manual therapy and strengthening exercises) Vs conventional physical therapy program alone to see if there is a beneficial effect of adding core stabilization exercises to physical therapy program Participants in study group will perform core stabilization exercises in addition to conventional PT program while participants in control group will receive conventional PT program
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| control group | Active comparator | Other: conventional physical therapy program |
| study group | Experimental | Other: Core stabilization exercises, Other: conventional physical therapy program |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 35 to 50 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (10 listed)
- Patients with Posterolateral cervical disc proplapse at level of C5-C6 and C6-C7 levels
- Neck Disability Index (NDI) score exceeding 20%.
- Neck pain of mild to moderate intensity (VAS ≥ 3).
- Their symptoms lasting for a duration exceeding six weeks
- Three out of four elements are positive in the following tests: spurling test, distraction test, upper limb tension test, shoulder abduction test.
Key exclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Cervical mylopathy or spinal tumors
- History of cervical spine surgeries
- Cervical fractures
- Vertebrobasilar insufficiency (VBI)
- Bone Infection
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Core stabilization exercisesparticipants in study group will receive 30 mins and 3 sessions per week for 4 weeks | Other | study group |
| conventional physical therapy programconventional physical therapy program will include TENS, hot pack, US, manual therapy and strengthening exercises | Other | control group, study group |
Primary outcome
Craniovertebral angle
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks
Craniovertebral angle ( CVA ) will be measured through lateral photography of patients. Before capturing the picture, Plastic markers will be placed on C7 vertebra and on tragus of ear. Then the picture will be uploaded to kinovea software to measure CVA by measuring the angle between a line connecting two plastic markers and the horizontal. Values more than 49 degrees are considered abnormal indicating forward head posture while values lower than 49 degrees indicate normal head position
Arabic Version of Neck Disability Index (NDI)
Time frame: from enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks
Functional outcome will be assessed though Arabic Version of Neck Disability Index (NDI) which is a 10-item self-reported questionnaire. It measures the influence of neck pain on functioning and disability. The patient will be informed that this questionnaire had been designed to give us how your pain had affected your ability to function in daily life. Personal care, lifting, reading, work, driving, sleeping, recreational activities, pain intensity, concentration, and headache are examples of these questions. Each question is assessed on a six-point scale ranging from 0 (no disability) to 5 (major disability). The score will be calculated by adding the scores of each item together. The overall score is out of 50. The results can be expressed as a percentage by multiplying the score by two. The higher NDI score, the greater patient's perceived disability due to neck pain. The Arabic version of NDI is a strong valid method for assessing self-rated disability in patients with neck pain
2 secondary outcomes
Neck Pain
Time frame: from enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks
Cervical Proprioception
Time frame: from enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 25 Aug 2026.
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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.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Core stabilization exercises and conventional physical therapy program in people with Cervical Radiculopathy, run by Cairo University at 1 site in Egypt.
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 10 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 25 Aug 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 Egypt. 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?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Omar Gamal Abdelbasset (0201114784265, omargamal2020@cu.edu.eg), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Craniovertebral angle (time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
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 25 Aug 2026; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 6 Nov 2026.