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Comparative Effect of Virtual Reality and Core Stability Exercises in Patients With Non-specific Chronic Low Back Pain

Comparative Effect of Virtual Reality and Core Stability Exercises in Patients With Non-specific Chronic Low Back Pain

Status
Active, not recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT07602816
Acronym
core stability
Enrollment
66
Registered
2026-05-22
Start date
2026-05-25
Completion date
2026-11-25
Last updated
2026-06-10

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

Conditions

Non Specific Low Back Pain

Keywords

back pain, core stability exercise, virtual reality

Brief summary

Non-specific low back pain (NSLBP) is a prevalent musculoskeletal disorder. (Maher et al., 2017). Globally, 60%-80% of adults' experience low back pain, with 10% developing chronic forms, of which 85% are classified as chronic nonspecific low back pain without a clear etiology. (Alsufiany et al.,2020)..Despite various treatment modalities, a significant number of individuals continue to experience pain, functional limitations, and psychological distress such as kinesiophobia.

Detailed description

Non-specific low back pain (NSLBP) is a prevalent musculoskeletal disorder. (Maher et al., 2017). Globally, 60%-80% of adults' experience low back pain, with 10% developing chronic forms, of which 85% are classified as chronic nonspecific low back pain without a clear etiology. (Alsufiany et al.,2020)..Despite various treatment modalities, a significant number of individuals continue to experience pain, functional limitations, and psychological distress such as kinesiophobia. Various strategies are employed to help improve range of motion, alleviate pain, and enhance the overall quality of life for individuals dealing with lower back pain (LBP). These strategies encompass therapeutic exercises, manual therapy techniques, educating patients on lifestyle modifications, managing medications, and utilizing modalities like cryotherapy, heat therapy, ultrasound, and electrical stimulation. (Rulewska et al., 2025). So, Physical therapies and exercises, psychological and social support, reducing strain during physical work, and lifestyle changes are commonly practiced to manage non-specific chronic low back pain (NSCLBP). (Kumari et al., 2024)

Interventions

OTHERgroup A

hot back, TENS, stretching exercise for Hamstring, Hip flexors, Back extensors and strengthening ex for back extensors and abdominal muscles each exercise.

OTHERGroup B

Participants will engage in VR rehabilitation sessions using interactive balance and movement-based VR programs using meta quest with android operating system and camera as a sensor technology, it includes VR headset,2 touch controllers, 2 AA batteries, silicone cover, glasses spacer, charging cable , power adapter

OTHERGroup C

Traditional core exercises focused on deep trunk muscles, 3 sessions per week for 4 weeks, under therapist supervision. It includes both isotonic and isometric core ex, During the ISOM exercises, patients were instructed to hold the contraction for 8 to 15 seconds, followed by a 5-second rest between each of the 4 sets, The ISOT exercises were performed in 4 sets, with 6 to 12 repetitions in each set. Additionally, a 1-minute rest was applied between each movement.

Sponsors

Emad Eldin Mohamed
Lead SponsorOTHER
October 6 University
CollaboratorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Investigator)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
20 Years to 45 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

1. Sixty-six patients with non-specific low back pain diagnosed by physician will be selected for the study from the outpatient clinic of faculty of physical therapy, October 6 university. 2. Patients of both sex with age range from 20-45 years. 3. Pain lasting for more than 12 weeks. 4. Pain intensity score 2/10 or more on Visual Analog Scale (VAS). 5. BMI ranged between 18.5 and 24.9 kg/m2.

Exclusion criteria

1. Visual or cognitive impairments affecting VR participation. 2. Pregnancy. 3. specific LBP (Radiculopathy, spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, or recent spinal surgery.) 4. neurological disorders, 5. psychiatric disorders, 6. physiotherapy during the last 6 months.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Oswestry Disability Index (ODI)4 weeksThe questionnaire examines the level of disability in 10 everyday activities of daily living. Each item consists of 6 statements which are scored from 0 to 5. With 0 indicating the least disability and 5 the greatest then the total score is calculated as a percentage, with 0% indicating no disability and 100% indicating the highest level of disability, disability scores ranging from 0-19% indicate minimal disability, 20-39% indicate moderate disability,40-59% indicate severe disability, 60-79% indicate crippling disability, and scores ranging from 80-100% indicate people who are confined to bed.
visual analogue scale (VAS)4 weeksPain intensity Level will be measured using the VAS that consists of a 10-cm straight line with endpoints defining pain intensity. All patients will be asked to mark their pain level that corresponds to their pain intensity on the line between "0", representing "no pain", and "10", representing "the worst pain imaginable". The distance between "0" and the mark made by the patients was measured using a ruler; a higher score indicates greater pain intensity.
Star excursion balance test (SEBT)4 weeksLeg length discrepancy will be measured before applying the (SEBT) for normalization of test results, SEBT will be accomplished while participants are standing on the dominant leg, and participants will be asked to reach as far as they could along a grid in the anterior, posteromedial, and posterolateral directions with the tip of the great toe of the non-stance limb. Participant's hands held at the iliac crest during the test, If the individual touches heavily or comes to rest at the touch-down point, has to make contact with the ground with the reaching foot to maintain balance, or lifts or shifts any part of the foot of the stance limb during the trial, the trial is not considered complete.
BROM4 weeksThe AROM was determined by BROM and done by calculating the difference between the angle recorded in the starting position and the angle recorded at the end position. (Suriyaamarit et al., 2024) First step in measuring ROM is finding the reference points, which consisted of the base of the sacrum and the spinous process of thoracic spine level 12. The base of the sacrum was located by drawing a line between the posterior superior iliac spine (PSIS) (the same level as the S2 spinous process) and counting up from the base of the sacrum. The spinous process of thoracic spine level 12 was located by counting up six levels from the 1st reference point. These two references were used to place the flexion/extension unit and the BROM R/L unit.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK)4 weeksis a self-report questionnaire, in its original form, the TSK is a 17 item assessment checklist. It uses a 4-point Likert scale (Strongly Disagree-Disagree-Agree-Strongly Agree) with statements that have been later linked to the model of fear-avoidance, fear of work-related activities, fear of movement, and fear of re-injury. The total score ranges from 17 to 68, with higher scores indicating greater levels of kinesiophobia. (Lundberg et al., 2011) Scores above 37 suggest the presence of clinically significant kinesiophobia, while scores below 37 are considered to be within the normal range.

Countries

Egypt

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Jun 11, 2026