Dry Needling Versus Instrumented Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization In the Patient With Cervicogenic Treatment Headache

NCT05446649 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: p.t.rec/012/003725
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 60
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

the aim of this study is to investigate the efficacy of Dry Needling Versus Instrumented Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization In the Patient With Cervicogenic Treatment Headache

Conditions

Cervicogenic Headache

Keywords

dry needling; cervicogenic headache; instrumented assisted soft tissue mobilization

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• pain intensity

  visual analogue scale will be used to asses pain intensity which patient will be instructed to put point on line from no pain to tolerable pain. The scale consists of a line, usually 10 cm long, ranging from no pain or discomfort (zero) , to the worst pain that could possibly feel .

  up to four weeks

• neck disability

  will be measured by Arabic neck disability index. It contains ten category/classes. Each category contains six choices (zero-five).Score from zero to four no disability, from five to 15 this is mild, From 15 to 24 this is moderate, from 25 to 34 this is severe, more than 34 this is a complete disability

  up to four weeks

• pressure pain threshold

  pressure pain threshold will be assessed by commander algometer

  up to four weeks

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• range of motion

  up to four weeks

• headache frequency

  up to four weeks

• medication intake

  up to four weeks

• headache duration

  up to four weeks

Study Arms (3)

dry needling

EXPERIMENTAL

the patient will receive dry needling and conventional therapy three times per week for four weeks

Other: dry needling; Other: conventional therapy

instrumented assisted soft tissue mobilization

EXPERIMENTAL

the patient will receive instrumented assisted soft tissue mobilization and conventional therapy three times per week for four weeks

Other: instrumented assisted soft tissue mobilization; Other: conventional therapy

conventional therapy

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

the patient will receive conventional therapy three times per week for four weeks

Other: conventional therapy

Interventions

dry needling OTHER

the patient will be in comfortable position .and clean the area over upper trapezius and sub occipital muscles. detect the trigger point then Perpendicular needling into the bulk of the muscle is the safest technique for this area.

dry needling

instrumented assisted soft tissue mobilization OTHER

the patients will be in sitting position. The appropriate IASTM technique instrument will be selected to scan, and then treat the affected area for 30 to 60 seconds per treated area. The procedure will be applied to the superficial cervical fascia and investing the layers of deep cervical fascia that surround all the structures in the neck. Strokes will be applied on the sub occipital and upper fibers of trapezius muscle. The IASTM technique will be applied at a 45° angle in a direction parallel to the treated muscle fibers for 20 seconds, followed immediately by an additional 20 seconds application at a 45° angle in a perpendicular direction to the muscle fibers, resulting in a total treatment time of approximately 40 seconds. The patients will be advised that they might be sore, bruised, or have small red dots called petechiae, on the treated area. Ice will be applied for 15 to 20 min after the treatment if there will be a massive soreness.

instrumented assisted soft tissue mobilization

conventional therapy OTHER

patients will be received traditional physiotherapy (stretching and strengthening cervical muscles and postural correction exercise)

conventional therapy; dry needling; instrumented assisted soft tissue mobilization

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 20 Years - 60 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• to 60 years old patient with unilaterally of the head pain
• pain triggered by external pressure over the upper cervical joints (c1-c3)
• pain elicited by the neck movements, and/or sustained awkward positions with reduced neck ROM
• headache intensity pain score of at least 20mm on the Visual analogue scale (VAS)
• headache frequency of at least once a week for at least 3 months
• minimum neck disability index score of 10 points or greater

You may not qualify if:

• Migraine, tension- type headache, tumor, osteoporosis, fracture, rheumatoid arthritis and metabolic diseases.
• Prolonged history of steroid use.
• Resting blood pressure greater than 140/90 mmhg.
• cervical spinal stenosis, diminished sensation and central nervous system involvement,
• previous head or neck surgery or whiplash injury history within the last 6 weeks

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Cairo University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Alshaymaa Shaaban Abd El-Azeim

Giza, 11432, Egypt

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Elhafez HM, Mohammed OA, Fahmy EM, Elkhateeb YS, Abd El-Azeim AS. Dry needling versus instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization in patients with cervicogenic headache: a randomized controlled trial. Disabil Rehabil. 2025 Dec 23:1-13. doi: 10.1080/09638288.2025.2605621. Online ahead of print.

  PMID: 41437643 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Post-Traumatic Headache

Interventions

Dry Needling

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Headache Disorders, Secondary; Headache Disorders; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Complementary Therapies; Therapeutics; Physical Therapy Modalities

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: random generator
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: principal investigator

Model Details: dry needling and instrumented assisted soft tissue mobilization

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 26, 2022
• First Posted: July 7, 2022
• Study Start: August 30, 2022
• Primary Completion: April 30, 2024
• Study Completion: April 30, 2024
• Last Updated: September 19, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-09

Locations

EG (1)