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NCT Number: NCT07150897

Early Rehabilitation of Abdominal Muscle Wall Following Lower Transverse Abdominal Incision

to investigate effect of inducing rehabilitation program very early after lower abdominal transverse incisions on abdominal muscles.

Active, Not Recruiting

This study is active but is not currently recruiting participants.

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Key information

Age range

35 year–50 year

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Beni suef university

Cairo, 02, Egypt

About this study

Abdominal surgery is a general term used to denote surgical procedures conducted in the abdominal area to detect and treat a presenting medical problem.1 Open Abdominal surgery includes vertical and transverse incisions. Low transverse abdominal incision is usually made 1-2 fingerbreadths above the pubic crest with an incision length of 10-14 cm. The lower transverse abdominal incision is adequate for the vast majority of caesarean operations as well as operative disease of the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries. Historically, the gynaecologist- obstetrician has favoured lower abdominal transverse incisions. Several disadvantages of these incisions exist such as limited exploration of the upper abdomen, greater blood loss as well as they are more susceptible to hematoma formation when compared with a midline incision. Paresthesia of the overlying skin results from nerve injury, is more common in a transverse incision compared with a midline incision.2 With regards to the abdominal muscle, there is a relevant surgical related muscle loss induced by major surgical trauma after lower transverse incisions.3 Early postoperative days are associated with fatigue and limited respiratory movements. For the patient, less post operative pain, rapid return to normal function as well as better scar appearance and quality of life are very important factors. Encouraging early mobilization after low transverse abdominal surgery is crucial for optimal healing and recovery of abdominal muscles. In physical therapy, activities such as, transferring from bed to chair, sitting upright, rising from a chair, exercises in or out of bed and walking in the room are considered helpful for surgical patient.4 Up till now, there is no study searched the effect of starting rehabilitation programs for abdominal muscles very early within the first 24 hours after obstetrics and gynaecology surgeries.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

a total of 60 women will be recruited from the obstetrics and gynecology Department of Beni-Suef University Hospital, Beni-Suef, Egypt. Their ages will be ranged from 35-50 years and their body mass index (BMI) will not exceed 29 kg/m2. All participants are post operative women after their 1st cesarean delivery or hysterectomy.

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Exclusion criteria

Women will be excluded from the study, if they were diagnosed with heart diseases, respiratory diseases causing excessive coughing or sneezing, chronic physical or mental illness, had more than 1 cesarean delivery; had any medical condition that would prohibit active abdominal muscle contraction; or failed to complete an informed consent form.

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Treatment and study plan

exercise for lower abdominal muscle wall

Other

the exercise session will start with light walking for 5 minutes followed by, posture correction exercises from crock lying, supine, and sitting and standing positions (each exercise will be maintained for 5 seconds and then the woman relaxed for 10 seconds and repeated each exercise 10 times) to overcome the effect of poor pregnancy posture. Then, participants will perform first step of prone plank exercises which is a stable prone plank with attention to maintain a neutral position in the hip joints, pelvis and lumbar spine. The feet will be placed to match the width of the hip and forearm and acted as support points. The elbows place under the glenohumeral joints, and the arms support the body vertically to the surface. Second step of prone plank exercises will involve performing the unilateral stable prone plank which is the same as the stable prone plank but with the dominant leg in a fully extended position. Third step includes, prone bridge on a Swiss Ball with a diameter of 65

Other names: Exercise group

Primary outcomes

  1. ultrasonography

    Time frame: 4 months

    All assessments will be performed by using a two-dimensional ultrasound diagnostic scanner with a linear probe (Toshiba Xario100, 8-12 MHz linear transducer) to measure thickness of lower part of Rectus Abdominis muscle below umbilicus before and after 6 weeks of the intervention procedure for all participants.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Beni-Suef University

Other

Registry information

Acronym: abdominal reb

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Sep 2, 2025
Registry last updated
Sep 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.