Therapeutic Effectiveness of Dry Needling and Acupressure Therapy Among Patients With Cervicogenic Headache

NCT07192497 | Completed DMC

• 1 other identifier: LUC/CPGS/PDFRA/PDA20250530/001
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 80
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

A randomized controlled trial (RCT) with a pre-test and post-test design will be conducted to compare the therapeutic effectiveness of Dry Needling (DN), Acupressure Therapy (AT), and their combination (DN + AT) against a control group receiving Hot Pack Therapy in patients diagnosed with Cervicogenic Headache (CH). This study follows the CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) guidelines to ensure methodological transparency and rigor. The trial design includes:

• Randomization: Participants will be randomly assigned into four study groups.
• Blinding: A single-blind approach will be used, where participants are unaware of their group allocation, while the researchers administering the intervention will be aware.
• Follow-up Period: Pre-assessment at baseline, post-intervention assessment, and 2-week follow-up.
• Data Analysis: Standardized assessment tools will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of each intervention.

Conditions

Cervicogenic Headache

Keywords

cervical pain; Headache; Dry needling; Accupressure; myofascial trigger points

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Pain intensity (Numeric Pain Rating Scale, NPRS)

  Pain intensity (Numeric Pain Rating Scale, NPRS) that is comprises over no's from 0 to 10 . 0 consider as no pain while 10 considered as worst pain.

  04 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• secondary out come measures

  A pre-test/post-test design with assessments at baseline and after two weeks of intervention. after 02 weeks intervention Week 3, and Week 4 for follow up total 02 weeks intervention and 02 weeks for followup

• functional status

  A pre-test/post-test design with assessments at baseline and after two weeks of intervention. after 02 weeks intervention Week 3, and Week 4 for follow up total 02 weeks intervention and 02 weeks for followup

• Quality of life of patients with cervicogenic headache

  A pre-test/post-test design with assessments at baseline and after two weeks of intervention. after 02 weeks intervention Week 3, and Week 4 for follow up total 02 weeks intervention and 02 weeks for followup

• Psycho-social characteristics

  A pre-test/post-test design with assessments at baseline and after two weeks of intervention. after 02 weeks intervention Week 3, and Week 4 for follow up total 02 weeks intervention and 02 weeks for followup

• Sleep quality

  A pre-test/post-test design with assessments at baseline and after two weeks of intervention. after 02 weeks intervention Week 3, and Week 4 for follow up total 02 weeks intervention and 02 weeks for followup

Study Arms (4)

Group A - Dry Needling (n=20)

EXPERIMENTAL

Dry needling at Myofascial trigger points

Other: DRY NEEDLING

Group B- Acupressure (n=20)

EXPERIMENTAL

Manual pressure applied at cervical and shoulder acupressure points

Other: Acupressure

Group C - Dry needling and Acupressure (n=20)

EXPERIMENTAL

Dry needling and acupressure therapy will be applied in the same session

Other: Dry needling and Acupressure therapy

Control Group D - Hot Pack (n=20)

EXPERIMENTAL

Passive heat therapy applied to the cervical spine

Other: Hot Pack

Interventions

DRY NEEDLING OTHER

Myofacial trigger point dry needling used to treat taught bands superficial or deep inside of muscles .

Group A - Dry Needling (n=20)

Acupressure OTHER

Acupressure therapy based on traditional Chinese principles

Group B- Acupressure (n=20)

Dry needling and Acupressure therapy OTHER

combination of dry needling and acupressure therapy on cervical trigger points

Group C - Dry needling and Acupressure (n=20)

Hot Pack OTHER

Hot fermentation will be applied on cervical pain area

Control Group D - Hot Pack (n=20)

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 20 Years - 50 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Male and female patients aged 20 to 50 years Diagnosed with Cervicogenic Headache (CGH) based on International Headache Society (IHS) diagnostic criteria Chronic CGH symptoms (i.e., persisting for at least 3 months) No previous dry needling (DN) or acupressure therapy (AT) within the last 6 months Able and willing to provide informed consent and comply with treatment and follow-up protocols

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Health Care Center (NHC) The Doctors Plaza Physical Therapy: lead

Study Sites (1)

NHC(Doctors plaza physical therapy and Rehabilitation Centre)

Karachi, Sindh, 75600, Pakistan

Location

Related Publications (1)

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507862/

  BACKGROUND

Related Links

• cervicogenic headache

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Post-Traumatic Headache; Neck Pain; Headache

Interventions

Dry Needling; Acupressure

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Headache Disorders, Secondary; Headache Disorders; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Complementary Therapies; Therapeutics; Physical Therapy Modalities; Therapy, Soft Tissue; Musculoskeletal Manipulations; Rehabilitation

Study Officials

• professor Dr. Sateesh babu Natarajan Supervisor, PhD

  Lincoln University College Malaysia

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Masking Details: only participants were unaware of treatment selection and choice of techniques would be applied.
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal investigator

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 18, 2025
• First Posted: September 25, 2025
• Study Start: August 10, 2024
• Primary Completion: June 30, 2025
• Study Completion: July 14, 2025
• Last Updated: September 25, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

PA (1)