Comparative Effects of Post Facilitation Stretch and Active Release Technique in Female Patients With Piriformis Syndrome.

NCT07547059 | Completed DMC

• 1 other identifier: IIUI/RERC/ADT/2025/04/74
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 40
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This clinical study aimed to compare the effectiveness of Post-Facilitation Stretch (PFS) and Active Release Technique (ART) on pain, disability, quality of life, and range of motion of hip internal and external rotation in female patients with piriformis syndrome. After recruitment, participants were randomly allocated into two groups using the chit-box method, either in group A Post-Facilitation Stretch, and group B Active Release Technique. Clinical outcomes including pain, disability, quality of life, and hip range of motion (abduction and internal rotation) were assessed at baseline, during the third week of treatment, and at the sixth-week follow-up from the National Institute of Rehabilitation and Medicine (NIRM) Hospital.

Conditions

Piriformis Syndrome

Keywords

Piriformis Syndrome; Post-Facilitation Stretch; Active Release Technique; Pain; Disability; Quality of Life; Range of Motion; Female

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

• Pain Intensity

  Pain was measured by Numerical Pain Rating Scale. On this scale, ten values range from 0 to 10, with 0 representing "no pain" and 10 representing "worst possible pain."

  Assessment was done at baseline, 3rd week and 6th week

• Disability

  Disability was measured by the Urdu version of the Lower Extremity Functional Scale. It is a 20-item self-report questionnaire assessing functional difficulty in daily, work, and recreational activities for adults with lower limb musculoskeletal conditions. Ranging from 0 (extreme difficulty) to 80 (high function).

  Assessment was done at baseline, 3rd week and 6th week

• Quality of life of Patients

  Quality of life was measured by the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire. The overall score goes from 0 to 100. Higher scores indicate a higher quality of life, while lower numbers indicate a lower quality of life.

  Assessment was done at baseline, 3rd week and 6th week

• Hip abduction and internal rotation range of motion

  Hip abduction and internal rotation range of motion was measured by goniometer

  Assessment was done at baseline, 3rd week and 6th week

Study Arms (2)

Post Facilitation Stretch

EXPERIMENTAL

Following a 10-minute application of a moist hot pack, participants were positioned supine with the hip flexed beyond 60° and gentle resistance was applied to facilitate an isometric external rotation contraction. This was followed by a passive stretch held for 15 seconds, performed for 5 repetitions per session.

Other: Post Facilitation Stretch

Active Release Technique

EXPERIMENTAL

Following a 10-minute application of a moist hot pack, participants were positioned prone, and deep manual pressure was applied over the piriformis muscle for approximately 90 seconds while the patient actively moved the hip from internal to external rotation. This procedure was repeated for 10 repetitions per session.

Other: Active Release Technique

Interventions

Post Facilitation Stretch OTHER

Following a 10-minute application of a moist hot pack, participants were positioned supine with the hip flexed beyond 60° and gentle resistance was applied to facilitate an isometric external rotation contraction. This was followed by a passive stretch held for 15 seconds, performed for 5 repetitions per session.

Post Facilitation Stretch

Active Release Technique OTHER

Following a 10-minute application of a moist hot pack, participants were positioned prone, and deep manual pressure was applied over the piriformis muscle for approximately 90 seconds while the patient actively moved the hip from internal to external rotation. This procedure was repeated for 10 repetitions per session.

Active Release Technique

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 25 Years - 45 Years
• Gender Eligibility Details: Female
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• to 45-year-old women.
• Clinically diagnosed with piriformis syndrome by Orthopaedic Surgeon.
• Unilateral pain.
• Sitting exacerbates buttock pain.
• External soreness in the vicinity of the greater sciatic notch.
• Positive findings on standard piriformis syndrome clinical tests (FAIR, Beatty, Freiberg, and Pace).
• Limited SLR ability

You may not qualify if:

• History of trauma and malignancies.
• Hip dislocation, osteoporosis, and femur fractures.
• Any postural abnormality, including disc pathology.
• Patients with neurological symptom, metabolic disease (RA) and diagnosed psychological problem.
• Pregnancy.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Ibadat International University, Islamabad: lead

Study Sites (1)

Faculty of Allied Health & Biological Sciences

Islamabad, Pakistan

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Piriformis Muscle Syndrome; Pain

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Sciatic Neuropathy; Mononeuropathies; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases; Neuromuscular Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Nerve Compression Syndromes; Neuralgia; Neurologic Manifestations; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Pelvic Pain

Study Officials

• Muhammad Nazim Farooq, PhD-PT

  Ibadat International University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 5, 2026
• First Posted: April 23, 2026
• Study Start: June 1, 2025
• Primary Completion: December 15, 2025
• Study Completion: December 15, 2025
• Last Updated: April 23, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-04

Locations

PA (1)