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Completed

NCT Number: NCT07164963

Upper Cervical Mobilization vs. Sub-Occipital MET for Neck Pain and FHP

forty-five patients with MNP and FHP age from 25-40 years will be randomly assigned into three groups: Group A (study): 15patients will receive (upper cervical translatoric mobilization) and traditional physical therapy, Group B (study): 15patients received sub occipital muscle energy technique and traditional physical therapy, and Group C (control): 15 patients will receive the traditional physical therapy treatment only . Interventions will be conducted three times a week for four weeks. Craniovertebral angle (CVA) using Photographic Posture Analysis Method (surgimap software), pain intensity using viual analogue scale (VAS), Cervical ROM using CROM device, and neck functional ability using Neck Disability Index (NDI) will be assessed for all participants before and after the treatment program.

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Key information

Conditions

Mechanical Neck Pain Forward Head Posture

Age range

20 year–60 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Faculty of Physical Therapy, Benha University

Cairo, Benha, Egypt

About this study

This randomized controlled trial aims to compare the efficacy of Upper Cervical Translatoric Mobilization (UC-TSM) and Sub-Occipital Muscle Energy Technique (MET) in patients with Mechanical Neck Pain (MNP) and Forward Head Posture (FHP). Forty-five participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: Group A (UC-TSM + conventional physical therapy), Group B (Sub-Occipital MET + conventional physical therapy), and Group C (conventional physical therapy only). Interventions will be administered three times per week for four weeks. Outcomes include pain intensity (VAS), neck disability (NDI), cervical range of motion (CROM), and craniovertebral angle (CVA) assessed via photographic analysis (Surgimap). The study will be conducted at Benha University.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • patients aged from 20-60 Years
  • suffering from M echanical neck pain with Craniovertebral angle ; < 53
  • their NDI ranging from 30-48% [9]. Patients were excluded from the study if they have injury or trauma to cervical region, spinal surgery, cervical canal stenosis, radicular pain and malignancy.

Exclusion criteria

  • Patients were excluded from the study if they have injury or trauma to cervical region, spinal surgery, cervical canal stenosis, radicular pain and malignancy.

Treatment and study plan

upper cervical translatoric mobilisation

Other

(UC-TSM) is defined as a system of manual techniques using straight-line forces delivered in a parallel or perpendicular direction to an individual vertebral joint or motion segment there is also increasing in body of evidence supporting the its clinical effectiveness and safety in the management of patients with cervical impairments.

sub occipital muscle energy technique

Other

Muscle Energy Technique (MET) is another form of a gentle manual therapy intervention that primarily targets the soft tissues, though it also contributes significantly to joint mobilization. It has been reported that, adding MET to exercise program resulted in better improvement in CVA and FHP than exercise group only

Traditional Physical therapy

Other

hot pack and kendel exercise

Primary outcomes

  1. Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for Pain Intensity

    Time frame: Baseline and after 4 weeks of treatment

    Pain intensity will be assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), a 10-cm line where 0 = "no pain" and 10 = "worst pain imaginable". A lower score indicates improvement.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for Pain Intensity

    Time frame: Baseline and after 4 weeks of treatment

    Functional disability will be assessed using the Neck Disability Index (NDI), a 10-item questionnaire scored from 0 to 50, where higher scores indicate greater disability.

  2. Craniovertebral Angle (CVA) via Photographic Posture Analysis

    Time frame: baseline and after 4 weeks

    The craniovertebral angle (CVA) will be measured using lateral-view photography and analyzed using Surgimap software. A higher CVA indicates improvement in forward head posture.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

MTI University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Upper Cervical Translatoric Mobilization Versus Sub Occipital Muscle Energy Technique in Patients With Mechanical Neck Pain and Forward Head Posture

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Sep 10, 2025
Registry last updated
Jan 5, 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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