NCT07414823Completed
Walking Football for Axial Spondyloarthritis
Walking Football and Axial Spondyloarthritis: Assessing Feasibility, Safety and Patient Reported Outcomes
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 15 Sept 2026
Brief summary (registry, in English)
Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is a long-term inflammatory condition affecting the spine. Patients with this condition can have pain and stiffness in their back and neck. NICE Guidelines recommend that these patients should follow a structured exercise programme with additional hydrotherapy, to maintain mobility and flexibility, so as to improve quality of life. While there is limited hydrotherapy provided in Portsmouth to approximately 40 axSpA patients via the National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society (NASS), there is no bespoke structured exercise programme for over 400 axSpA patients under the care of the Rheumatology Department, other than exercise advice which patients are asked to follow in their own time. We propose twice-weekly Walking Football sessions for our axSpA patients as a structured exercise programme. Walking Football is an inclusive sport, with proven health benefits to other patient groups. Unlike traditional football, walking football is a non-contact sport; players are not allowed to run or jump, and the ball must stay below head height. In this way, people with some mobility impairment or mild frailty can still play. In addition to getting regular physical exercise, twice-weekly sessions would provide training in a sporting skill, as well as give opportunities to connect with other players socially, providing mental health benefits. We have a number of axSpA patients who are keen to try Walking Football as part of their axSpA management, but there is a lack of evidence on the safety and effectiveness of this. We thus plan to undertake a 12-week pragmatic feasibility study to gather this evidence.
- Status (registry)
- Completed
- Study type
- Interventional
- Enrollment
- 12 (actual)
- First submitted
- 16 Dec 2025
- Start date
- 20 Oct 2025
- Primary completion date
- 15 Mar 2026
- Lead sponsor
- Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust
- Diseases
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- NCT number
- NCT07414823
What you commit to
- Study type: Interventional
- Participants enrolled: 12
- From 20 Oct 2025 to the primary completion date, 15 Mar 2026
- 1 site in 1 country
- Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them
Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.
Who cannot take part
Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.
Age
- Under 18 years of age
Other
- Significant disability affecting ability to play walking football
- Inability to commit to at least 18 of the 24 planned sessions of walking football
- Already a regular participant in local walking football sessions
Who the study is looking for
- Has a formal diagnosis of axial spondyloarthritis, as stated in existing clinical documents
- Able to walk independently without walking aids (note: there will be no upper age limit)
- Good understanding of spoken and written English
Age in the registry: 18 years to - · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers
Sites (1)
Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.
| Site | City | Country | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Portsmouth | United Kingdom | Unknown status |
This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.