Virtual McKenzie Exercises and Centralization of Pain: A Pilot Study
Not yet recruitingNot applicableNCT07285824
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This study has no listed site in Canada in this snapshot. It is included as part of the worldwide chronic pain corpus.
Brief summary (from the registry)
Low back pain (LBP) is frequently managed in physical therapy using the McKenzie method, in which a patient's directional preference-most commonly extension-is used to guide treatment. Extension-based interventions are associated with symptom improvement and centralization in many individuals with LBP. At the same time, research in pain neuroscience has shown that people with LBP may have altered cortical representations of the low back, which may contribute to pain and disability. For patients who experience high pain levels or significant fear of movement, active directional preference exercises may be difficult to perform. Motor imagery, the mental simulation of movement without physical execution, has been shown to activate brain regions involved in movement and may help modify altered cortical representations. Preliminary research has suggested that virtual or imagery-based McKenzie extension exercises may improve pain and movement-related outcomes. This exploratory study aims to evaluate the immediate effects of a brief motor imagery-based extension protocol in adults with LBP who demonstrate a directional preference for extension. The study will assess changes in pain intensity, disability, fear-avoidance, pain catastrophization, lumbar flexion, straight leg raise, pain distribution, and symptom centralization following a single motor imagery session.
Study details
- Official title
- Virtual McKenzie Exercises and Centralization of Pain: A Pilot Study
- Conditions
- Interventions
- Behavioral: Motor Imagery-Based Lumbar Extension
- Sponsor
- Evidence In Motion
- Collaborators
- University of Nevada, Las Vegas; College of St. Scholastica, Inc.
- Start date
- 2025-12
- Primary completion
- 2026-05
- Sex
- All
- Age range
- from 18 Years to 65 Years
- Results posted
- No results posted in this snapshot
- Total sites listed
- 0
Eligibility criteria
Show eligibility criteria (verbatim from the registry)
Inclusion Criteria: Age 18 to 65 years Presenting to outpatient physical therapy with low back pain (LBP) Able to read and understand English No red flags identified during review of systems and initial physical therapy evaluation No prior spinal surgery Demonstrates a positive response to extension-based directional preference testing Willing and able to provide written informed consent Exclusion Criteria: Age younger than 18 or older than 65 Inability to read or understand English Presence of red flags during review of systems (e.g., suspected fracture, malignancy, infection, cauda equina symptoms) History of spinal surgery No demonstrable directional preference for extension during evaluation Any condition that the evaluating clinician determines would preclude safe participation Declines to participate or is unable to provide informed consent
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov (US National Library of Medicine), snapshot October 2026. Check the registry for current recruiting status. Record: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07285824