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Analyzing Positional Release Therapy and Dry Needling

Analyzing Positional Release Therapy and Dry Needling to Improve Pain and Function in Levator Scapulae Syndrome

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT07776327
Enrollment
102
Registered
2026-08-20
Start date
2026-09-01
Completion date
2027-09-02
Last updated
2026-09-01

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

Conditions

Neck Muscle Issue

Brief summary

Levator scapulae syndrome (LSS) is a common musculoskeletal disorder that affects people in a variety of vocations, especially those that require extended static postures and repetitive motions. It is frequently characterized by persistent neck and shoulder pain. Among them, cosmetics professionals Desk top professional and are particularly vulnerable because of the nature of their employment, which involves tasks like prolonged, uncomfortable postures that lead to muscular imbalance.along them Levator Scapulae Syndrome (LSS) is quite common in manual laborers because of heavy lifting, overhead reaching, and repetitive lifting. This results in significant discomfort, stiffness, and limited neck movement due to persistent muscular tension, decreased flexibility, and trigger points in the neck and upper back.

Detailed description

Following the screening, participants will be randomized to receive the experimental or the controlled treatment in a1:1 ratio. Computer-generated random numbers will be used for Randomization. After obtaining the basic information, a unique code will be provided to each included patient. The outcome assessor will be blinded to the type of treatment. Patients and investigator could not be blinded due to the nature of treatment. Group "A "(experimental group) will receive Positional Release Technique on Levator Scapulae (Both if Necessary) Group "B" (control group) will receive (control group) will receive Dry needling treatment ,along with Neck strengthening exercises. All patients will be Assessed for Pain , ROM and Functional Activities at base line and after 4 weeks. Visual Analogue Scale(VAS) and CROM will be used for pain and ROM respectively.Neck Disability Index (NDI), Oxford Scale, ) will be used for Muscle strength and Daily life disaility Global Rating for patient's assessment of their own progress or decline during a particular course of treatment. and finaly EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D) to evaluate health-related quality of life. Mobility, self-care, routine activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression are the five main variables that are assessed.

Interventions

This Techniques Introduce in 1980 by DO Jones. By name of Spontaneous Release than Strain Counterstrain but Now Term PRT is Used Gobally. Muscle rlaxation is Achieved by Putting the muscle in Mos comfortable postion

OTHERDry Needling

Despite using the same type of filiform (solid) needles, it is not the same as acupuncture. While acupuncture regulates the body's energy flow through conventional channels, dry needling is a Western medical treatment used specifically to relieve pain and release tight muscle knots.

Sponsors

University of Karachi
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 40 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

18-40 years Willing to participate Having Positive Levator scapulae Test -

Exclusion criteria

Any history related to spinal surgery, Previous administration of epidural injections. Neck pain due to specific pathology, Neurological deficits (Myelopathy) and Clinical disorder contraindicated to exercise \-

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
VAS Visual Analogue Scale VAS Visual Analogue ScaleBaseline and After Four weeks of TreatmentThe visual analogue scale is used for measurement of pain intensity. It is a continuous scale. It comprises a horizontal/vertical 10 centimeters or 100 millimeters line. The higher scores shows higher pain intensity and lower scores shows lower pain intensity.Left Anchor (0 cm): Represents "No pain" and The Right Anchor (100 cm): Represents "Worst possible pain". Increase in cm indicate worsening of the pain.
The Oxford Muscle ScaleBaseline and After Four weeks of TreatmentThe Oxford muscular Scale, sometimes called the Medical Research Council or MRC scale, as a standardized instrument to measure muscular strength and power, Evaluate and grade manual muscle strength and power on a standardized scale from 0 to 5. Where 0 Means No contraction (lowest) and grade 5 (highest) muscle exhibits normal strength and can move through a full range of motion against maximal, firm resistance. Increase in Grades represent Improving in Strength and recovery while decrease in grade shows weakness and decline in strength.
Cervical Range of Motion (CROM) Universal GoniometeryBaseline and After Four weeks of TreatmentThe cervical spine's (neck's) functional mobility is determined using the Cervical Range of Motion (CROM) test. It determines how far a person can move their head in various directions, to assist diagnose neck discomfort, evaluate the healing process following an accident, and monitor the course of rehabilitation.Cervical goniometry is the clinical method of measuring neck mobility using a standard handheld universal goniometer. The goniometer's stationary arm always tracks a fixed reference line relative to the ground or torso. The moving arm follows the structural movement of the skull. Measures CROM in degrees. Increase in degrees denote improvement and increase ROM
EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D)Baseline and After Four weeks of TreatmentMeasure generic health-related quality of life (HRQoL). It is one of the most widely used Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) globally. The EQ-5D descriptive system is a preference-based HRQL measure with one question for each of the five dimensions that include mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression. The EQ-5D questionnaire also includes a Visual Analog Scale (VAS), by which respondents can report their perceived health status with a grade ranging from 0 (the worst possible health status) to 100 (the best possible health status).

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Neck Disability Index (NDI)Baseline and After Four weeks of TreatmentThe gold-standard Client reported questionnaire to measure how much neck discomfort interferes with day-to-day functioning is the Neck Disability Index (NDI).Measure how much neck pain affects a patient's daily activities and to track their progress over time. It consists of 10 sections covering areas like pain intensity, personal care, lifting, reading, headaches, concentration, work, driving, sleeping, and recreation. Each section is scored from 0 (no disability) to 5 (severe disability), giving a total possible raw score of 50. Scores of 0-4 means No disability, Neck pain has negligible impact on daily living where scores of 25 - 34 reflects complete disability, Patient is bedbound or severely incapacitated by pain.
Global Rating of Change (GRC)Baseline and After Four weeks of TreatmentA simple, self-filled questionnaire used to gauge a patient's perceived progress or decline over time. It enables patients to list the extent to which their condition has improved since beginning an intervention. A single-item outcome measure used in clinical practice and research to quantify a patient's self-perceived improvement or deterioration over a specific period. The most heavily validated and widely used version is the 15-point scale (ranging from -7 to +7. Positive Scores (+1 to +7): Indicate improvement, where +1 represents "a tiny bit better" and +7 represents "a very great deal better", Neutral Score (0): Indicates the condition is unchanged or exactly "the same". Negative Scores (-1 to -7): Indicate worsening, where -1 represents "a tiny bit worse" and -7 represents "a very great deal worse". Scores of +4 or +5 and above indicate a definitive, highly successful clinical outcome.

Countries

Pakistan

Contacts

CONTACTIram Iqbal Shamsi, MPhil
iramiqbalshamsi@gmail.com+92 3012135230

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Sep 2, 2026