Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT06874881

Aquatic and Land Exercises for Chronic Low Back Pain

This study aims to learn about the effects of aquatic and land exercises on managing chronic low back pain in adults aged 18-65. The participants engage in a 12-week supervised land and water-based exercise program.

The main questions this study aims to answer are:

* How effective are aquatic exercises on low back pain, functional disability, Kinesiophobia, sleep quality, and overall quality of life? * Is aquatic therapy more effective than land exercises for treating LBP or vice versa?

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Conditions

Chronic Low Back Pain (Non-specific, Uncomplicated)

Age range

18 year–65 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

St. Leonard building, The University of Edinburgh

Edinburgh, EH8 8AQ, United Kingdom

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Age between 18 and 65
  • Both Genders
  • Literate in the English language to understand instructions/ to complete a self-report questionnaire.
  • Having non-specific Chronic low back pain (≥12 weeks)
  • Patient willingness to be a part of any randomly selected treatment groups.

Exclusion criteria

  • Pregnant Females
  • If they had low back pain as the result of diagnosis of severe osteoporosis, spinal bone disorders such as spondylosis and spondylolisthesis, fractures, lumbar spine stenosis, lower limb joint replacement surgery, hip orthosis, ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis, infective or inflammatory disease, compression of the radial nerve, meningitis, arthrosis, lumbar region tumours, Leg length discrepancy, previous back surgery.
  • Uncontrolled hypertension, Severe postural hypotension, any heart disease like Left heart failure or exercise-induced angina. Medical illnesses without a medical managing plan in place, e.g., uncontrolled epilepsy, diabetes mellitus. Neurologic deficit, open wounds, current or recurrent radiation treatment.
  • Patients with severe depression and psychosis
  • People who are already participating in an individually-prescribed exercise programme for LBP.

Aquatic exercises /Pool specific:

  • Individuals with hydrophobia/ water-related anxiety, or inability to adapt to an aquatic environment.
  • Allergy to chlorine, Severe limiting airway disease
  • Faecal or urinary incontinence, diarrhoea, and vomiting.
  • Weight more than the emergency evacuation manual handling risk assessment.

Treatment and study plan

aquatic exercises

Other

The aquatic exercise intervention consists of structured, supervised, water-based exercises designed and delivered by an experienced physiotherapist specifically for individuals with chronic low back pain. Sessions are conducted in a temperature-controlled swimming pool with proper warm-up and cool-down. The intervention follows a progressive intensity approach with easy, medium, and hard approaches.

Other names: Aquatic Physical Therapy, Hydrotherapy, Water-Based Exercises, Aquatic Therapy, Pool-Based Rehabilitation, Aquatic Physiotherapy, Aquatic Rehabilitation, Therapeutic Water Exercise

Land Exercises

Other

The land-based exercise intervention mirrors the aquatic exercise protocol regarding exercise type, duration, frequency, and progression but is performed on land.

Other names: Land-Based Exercise Therapy, Physiotherapy-Based Exercise, Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Program, Therapeutic Exercise Routine

Primary outcomes

  1. Pain Intensity

    Time frame: Baseline before the intervention/pre-testing, at the 8th week of the intervention, within a week after the last training session, and three months after the end of the training (Follow-up period).

    Pain intensity is measured by the Numerical Pain Rating Scale where the participants will report their pain as 0 (no pain) and 10(worst imaginable pain).

  2. Functional Disability

    Time frame: Baseline before the intervention/pre-testing, at the 8th week of the intervention, within a week after the last training session, and three months after the end of the training (Follow-up period).

    Functional disability is assessed by the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire, a 24-item self-reported measure evaluating the impact of low back pain on daily activities.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Health-Related Quality of Life

    Time frame: Baseline before the intervention/pre-testing, at the 8th week of the intervention, within a week after the last training session, and three months after the end of the training (Follow-up period).

    Quality of Life is assessed by the Short-Form Health Survey 36, a validated questionnaire measuring the eight physical and mental health domains.

  2. Sleep Quality

    Time frame: Baseline before the intervention/pre-testing, at the 8th week of the intervention, within a week after the last training session, and three months after the end of the training (Follow-up period).

    The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index measures the sleep quality, its scores measured from 0-21, with higher scores indicating poor sleep quality.

  3. Kinesiophobia (Fear of Movement-Related to Pain)

    Time frame: Baseline before the intervention/pre-testing, at the 8th week of the intervention, within a week after the last training session, and three months after the end of the training (Follow-up period).

    Kinesiophobia is measured with the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia, a 17-item questionnaire designed to measure the fear associated with the chronic pain and movement.

  4. Dynamic Balace Performance

    Time frame: Baseline before the intervention/pre-testing, at the 8th week of the intervention, within a week after the last training session, and three months after the end of the training (Follow-up period).

    The Y balance test measures dynamic balance by measuring stability while reaching in three directions: anterior, posteromedial, and posterolateral.

  5. Hamstring Flexibility

    Time frame: Baseline before the intervention/pre-testing, at the 8th week of the intervention, within a week after the last training session, and three months after the end of the training (Follow-up period).

    The active knee extension test is a clinical measure of the hamstring flexibility.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Edinburgh

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Effectiveness of Aquatic and Land Exercises on Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain: A Randomised Study

Acronym: AquaLand-CLBP

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Mar 13, 2025
Registry last updated
Dec 2, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.