Exercise effect on the lumbar multifidus in back pain

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

This is a single-center prospective interventional study in adults aged 18–80 with chronic non-specific low back pain and abnormal lumbar multifidus ultrasound findings. Participants perform a 12-week home rehabilitation program focused on prone multifidus activation and core stability exercises, 3–5 times weekly for 20–30 minutes per session. Ultrasound radiomics will be used to analyze changes in multifidus imaging features before and after training, and these features will be explored as potential biomarkers of treatment response. Primary endpoints include changes in multifidus muscle area, radiomic features, and pain scores; secondary analyses examine correlations between imaging changes and functional improvements. Safety will be monitored, with training adjustments if pain worsens or new neurological symptoms occur.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Aged 18-80 years old, no restriction on gender.
2. Diagnosed with non-specific low back pain with disease duration ≥ 3 months.
3. Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) / Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain score ≥ 1 point.
4. Clinically suspected lumbar multifidus muscle injury or dysfunction, with at least one abnormal finding of lumbar multifidus muscle on baseline ultrasound examination, including reduced resting thickness, left-right asymmetry, decreased cross-sectional area or increased echogenicity.
5. Able to understand the research content and voluntarily sign the informed consent form.
6. Able to cooperate to complete rehabilitation training and follow-up assessments.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Presence of specific causes of low back pain, such as lumbar infection, tumor, fracture, inflammatory spondyloarthropathy, etc.
2. Obvious nerve root compression symptoms, cauda equina syndrome or progressive neurological deficits.
3. Previous history of lumbar spine surgery.
4. Severe lumbar spondylolisthesis, severe spinal stenosis, severe osteoporosis or other conditions unsuitable for rehabilitation training.
5. Complicated with severe cardiopulmonary disease, malignant tumor, systemic infection or other diseases intolerant to training.
6. Pregnant or lactating women.
7. Received systematic lumbar back rehabilitation training, local block/injection therapy or other interventions that may affect outcome assessment within the past 4 weeks.
8. Combined with severe mental disorders, cognitive impairment or poor compliance, unable to cooperate with the study.
9. Patients with long-term use of hormones or analgesic medications.
10. Other conditions judged by the investigator to be inappropriate for enrollment.

Where it's running

• Chinese PLA General Hospital
  Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China Recruiting

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Mingbo Zhang, MD — Chinese PLA General Hospital
• Study coordinator: Mingbo Zhang, MD
• Email: owsifanduizhe@126.com
• Phone: +8613552744805

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How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.