Effects of Unstable Shoes on Trunk Muscle Activity, Lumbar Spine Kinematics and Pain in Patients With Low Back Pain

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT02606370

Enrollment

Registered

2015-11-17

Start date

2016-01-31

Completion date

2016-05-31

Last updated

2017-09-25

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Low Back Pain

Keywords

Unstable Shoes;Trunk muscles;Lumbar lordosis;Low Back Pain

Brief summary

Aim: To compare trunk muscle activity, lumbar spine range of motion (ROM) and LBP during gait using an unstable shoe (Intervention group) and a conventional stable control shoe (Control Group). Design: Randomized Controlled Trial. Setting: A Biomechanics laboratory. Population: Patients with Low Back Pain.

Detailed description

Background: An unstable shoe was developed as a walking device to strengthen the lower extremity muscles and reduce joint loading. A large number of studies have reported increased electromyographic (EMG) activity throughout the gait cycle in most of the lower limb muscles, and significant kinematic changes in the lower extremity. However, no studies have investigated the effects of wearing (1 month) unstable shoes on 1) spine kinematics, 2) trunk muscle activity and 3) Low Back Pain (LBP) during gait in Patients with chronic LBP. Aim: To compare trunk muscle activity, lumbar spine range of motion (ROM) and LBP during gait using an unstable shoe (Intervention group) and a conventional stable control shoe (Control Group). Design: Randomized Controlled Trial. Setting: A Biomechanics laboratory. Population: Patients with Low Back Pain.

Interventions

OTHERUnstable shoe

Wearing Unstable shoes during 1 month

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to 65 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Patients with Chronic LBP * BMI \< 30

Exclusion criteria

* Hernia * Lower limb pathologies * Previous experience with unstable shoes

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Disability (assessed by Roland Morris Questionaire)	At 1 month

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
EMG activity of trunk muscles	At baseline and at 1 month follow-up
Lumbar spine range of movement (sagittal plane)	At baseline and at 1 month follow-up

Countries

Spain

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026