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NCT Number: NCT07776327

Analyzing Positional Release Therapy and Dry Needling

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.

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Key information

Conditions

Age range

18 year–40 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

About this study

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.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

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

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Treatment and study plan

Positional release technique

Other

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

dry needling

Other

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.

Primary outcomes

  1. VAS Visual Analogue Scale VAS Visual Analogue Scale

    Time frame: Baseline and After Four weeks of Treatment

    The 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.

  2. The Oxford Muscle Scale

    Time frame: Baseline and After Four weeks of Treatment

    The 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.

  3. Cervical Range of Motion (CROM) Universal Goniometery

    Time frame: Baseline and After Four weeks of Treatment

    The 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

  4. EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D)

    Time frame: Baseline and After Four weeks of Treatment

    Measure 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 outcomes

  1. Neck Disability Index (NDI)

    Time frame: Baseline and After Four weeks of Treatment

    The 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.

  2. Global Rating of Change (GRC)

    Time frame: Baseline and After Four weeks of Treatment

    A 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.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Iram Iqbal Shamsi, MPhil

CONTACT

[email protected]

+92 3012135230

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Karachi

Other

Registry information

Official study title

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

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Aug 20, 2026
Registry last updated
Aug 20, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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