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Effects of Transverse Abdominis Activation and Rectus Abdominis Strengthening on Inter-rectus Distance and Core Stability

NCT07253844 · Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 33

Last updated 2025-11-28

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

This randomized controlled trial aims to compare the effects of Transverse Abdominis (TrA) activation, Rectus Abdominis (RA) strengthening, and their combined approach on inter-rectus distance (IRD) and core stability in postpartum women diagnosed with diastasis rectus abdominis (DRA). Thirty-three participants will be randomly allocated into three groups and will complete a six-week exercise program at the Pakistan Society for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled (PSRD) Hospital, Lahore. The study will use real-time ultrasound and pressure biofeedback assessment to evaluate changes in IRD and core stability. It is hypothesized that TrA activation and the combined intervention will produce greater improvements compared to RA strengthening alone.

Conditions

  • Diastasis Recti Abdominis (DRA)

Interventions

OTHER

Transverse Abdominis activation exercises

Group A (TAA) will perform abdominal drawing-in maneuvers (ADIM) in crook lying, side lying, and quadruped positions. They will be instructed to gently draw the belly button inward toward the spine without moving the pelvis or rib cage, emphasizing breathing coordination and pelvic floor co-activation. In the supervised phase, participants will perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions, with each contraction held for 10-20 seconds, and a rest interval of 3 minutes between sets

OTHER

Rectus Abdominis Strengthening exercises

Group B (RAS) will perform exercises in supine lying with knees bent, including partial curl-ups, reverse crunches, pelvic tilts, and leg raises with abdominal bracing. The command will be tighten your abdominals as if bracing for a punch, and lift without straining your neck. Each supervised session will include 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions per exercise, progressing in difficulty using added resistance if tolerated, with a 3-minute rest interval between sets

OTHER

combined protocol of both transverse abdominis activation and rectus abdominis strengthening.

Group C (TAA+RAS) will perform a hybrid protocol integrating both TrA activation and RA strengthening exercises. Each session will begin with ADIM in crook lying, side lying, and quadruped positions, followed by RA exercises including curl-ups, pelvic tilts, and leg raises. The command will be to activate your deep core with breathing, then strengthen your outer abdominals through controlled movements. Each supervised session will consist of 3 sets of 10 repetitions for TrA exercises (10-20 seconds hold) and 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions for RA exercises, with a rest period of 3 minutes between all sets.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Lahore University of Biological and Applied Sciences

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Muhammad tariq Shafi, BSPT,tDPT · Lahore University of Biological and Applied Sciences

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
20 Years
Max Age
40 Years
Sex
FEMALE
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2025-11-25
Primary Completion
2026-05-25
Completion
2026-05-30

Countries

  • Pakistan

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07253844 on ClinicalTrials.gov