Accuracy of Rib Palpation for Dry Needling of Deep Periscapular Musculature, Measured With Ultrasound

Status

Completed

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Observational

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT04066166

Enrollment

Registered

2019-08-26

Start date

2016-01-01

Completion date

2017-07-31

Last updated

2026-04-27

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

Conditions

Trigger Point Pain, Myofascial

Brief summary

Ultrasound was used to identify the location of a rib. This was compared to a practitioner's ability to palpate the area.

Detailed description

Ultrasound was used to identify the location of a rib. This was compared to a practitioner's ability to palpate the area. The purpose of this study is to identify if practitioners are as accurate as they think they are in identifying ribs. This is important, as mis-identifying a rib may put patients at risk for inadvertent needle entry into the lung.

Interventions

DIAGNOSTIC_TESTPalpation

All healthy subjects palpated

Study design

Observational model

COHORT

Time perspective

CROSS_SECTIONAL

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Anyone with ribs

Exclusion criteria

* No children

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Accuracy	1 year	Number of participants who were appropriately identified compared to ultrasound

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORDaniel Cushman

UNIVERSITY OF UTAH ORTHOPAEDICS CENTER

Baseline characteristics

Characteristic	—
Age, Continuous	46 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 17.3
Sex: Female, Male Female	25 Participants
Sex: Female, Male Male	19 Participants

Adverse events

Event type	EG000 affected / at risk
deaths Total, all-cause mortality	0 / 44
other Total, other adverse events	0 / 44
serious Total, serious adverse events	0 / 44

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Apr 28, 2026