Effects of Graston Technique Versus Soft Tissue Release on Neck Pain and Range of Motion.

NCT07602972 | Completed DMC

• 1 other identifier: GIU/REC/26-36
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 40
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study compares two manual therapy techniques for treating tension neck syndrome: Graston Technique and Manual Soft Tissue Release. Tension neck syndrome causes neck pain, stiffness, and reduced range of motion. Participants will be assigned to receive either Graston Technique or Manual Soft Tissue Release for a set number of sessions. Researchers will measure changes in neck pain and range of motion before and after treatment to see which technique is more effective. The purpose is to provide evidence on the best manual therapy approach for improving neck pain and movement in patients with tension neck syndrome.

Conditions

Tension Neck Syndrome

Keywords

Graston Technique; Manual Soft Tissue Release; Neck Pain; Cervical Range of Motion; Physiotherapy; Manual Therapy

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Change in Neck Pain Intensity

  Neck pain intensity measured using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), where 0 = no pain and 10 = worst pain imaginable. Higher scores indicate greater pain.

  Baseline and after 12 weeks of intervention

• Change in Cervical Range of Motion

  Cervical range of motion for flexion, extension, lateral flexion, and rotation measured in degrees using a goniometer. Higher values indicate greater range of motion.

  Baseline and after 12 weeks of intervention

Study Arms (2)

Graston Technique

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this arm receive Graston Technique, an instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization therapy. Treatment is applied to the cervical spine and upper trapezius muscles using stainless steel instruments. Frequency and duration of sessions are as defined in the study protocol. All interventions are delivered by a licensed physiotherapist.

Procedure: Graston Technique

Manual Soft Tissue Release

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this arm receive Manual Soft Tissue Release, a hands-on manual therapy technique. The therapist applies sustained pressure and stretching to release tightness in the cervical spine and upper trapezius muscles. Frequency and duration of sessions are as defined in the study protocol. All interventions are delivered by a licensed physiotherapist.

Procedure: Manual Soft Tissue Release

Interventions

Graston Technique PROCEDURE

Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization using stainless steel Graston Technique instruments. The technique is applied to the cervical spine and upper trapezius muscles to reduce pain and improve range of motion in patients with tension neck syndrome. Treatment is delivered by a licensed physiotherapist according to the study protocol.

Also known as: IASTM

Graston Technique

Manual Soft Tissue Release PROCEDURE

Manual soft tissue mobilization technique performed by a licensed physiotherapist using hands-on pressure and stretching. The technique targets tightness in the cervical spine and upper trapezius muscles to reduce pain and improve cervical range of motion in patients with tension neck syndrome. Treatment is delivered according to the study protocol.

Also known as: MSTR, Manual Therapy

Manual Soft Tissue Release

Eligibility Criteria

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

You may qualify if:

• Patients aged 20-60 years.
• Patients of both genders.
• Patients with persistent neck pain.
• Patients with neck pain absent of spondylosis, disk prolapse, or radiculopathy.

You may not qualify if:

• The patients who did not want to participate
• The patients who just had cervical spine surgery.
• The patients who had recent cervical injury.
• The patients who comes with tumor of the cervical spine.
• The patients affected by neck dysfunction.
• The patients with cervical disc herniation.
• The patients who had difficulties in language.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Green International University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Rafique Bhatti Memorial Hospital, Department of Physiotherapy

Lahore, Punjab Province, 54000, Pakistan

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Neck Pain

Interventions

Musculoskeletal Manipulations

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Complementary Therapies; Therapeutics; Physical Therapy Modalities; Rehabilitation

Study Officials

• Wajeeha Nadeem, Masters in Rehabilitation Scie

  Green Internation University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: TRIPLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, CARE PROVIDER, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Model Details: Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two parallel groups. Group 1 receives Graston Technique and Group 2 receives Manual Soft Tissue Release. Each group receives the assigned intervention only.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 16, 2026
• First Posted: May 22, 2026
• Study Start: November 2, 2025
• Primary Completion: April 29, 2026
• Study Completion: May 5, 2026
• Last Updated: May 22, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-05

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP, ICF, CSR
• Time Frame: It will be available after the completion of the study.
• Access Criteria: De-identified individual participant data and the study protocol will be made available to researchers whose proposed use of the data has been approved by the study team. Requests should be sent to the corresponding author via email. Data will be shared after execution of a data use agreement and for the purpose of meta-analysis or secondary research related to tension neck syndrome and manual therapy.

Locations

PA (1)