Effects of Myokinetic Stretching Technique and Post Facilitation Stretching on Pain, Range of Motion, and Functional Disability in Patients With Cervical Radicular Pain

NCT07724470 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: UBAS/ERB/26/04/011
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 40
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 2

Brief Summary

Cervical radicular pain (CRP) is a musculoskeletal condition characterized by neck pain radiating to the upper limb due to compression or irritation of cervical nerve roots. It significantly affects daily activities, cervical mobility, and overall quality of life. Conventional physical therapy focuses on reducing pain and improving function; however, there is limited evidence comparing the effectiveness of different stretching techniques used in clinical practice. This randomized controlled trial aims to compare the effectiveness of Myokinetic Stretching Technique (MST) and Post Facilitation Stretching (PFS) on pain intensity, cervical range of motion, and functional disability in patients with cervical radicular pain. A total of 70 participants with cervical radicular pain (\>4 weeks) will be randomly allocated into two groups: Group A (Myokinetic Stretching Technique Group) - receiving MST along with conventional therapy including hot pack application, cervical isometric exercises, neurodynamic gliding, and continuous cervical traction. Group B (Post Facilitation Stretching Group) - receiving Post Facilitation Stretching along with the same conventional therapy. The intervention will be conducted for 4 weeks, with 3 sessions per week on alternate days, each session lasting approximately 45 minutes. Outcome measures will include: Pain intensity assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) Cervical range of motion measured using a goniometer Functional disability assessed using the Neck Disability Index (NDI) This study aims to determine the more effective stretching technique for reducing pain, improving cervical mobility, and enhancing functional outcomes, thereby supporting evidence-based physiotherapy practice in managing cervical radicular pain.

Conditions

Cervical Radicular Pain

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Numeric Pain Rating scale

  Pain intensity will be assessed using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale. The scale ranges from 0 to 10, where 0 indicates no pain and 10 indicates the worst possible pain. Higher scores indicate greater pain.

  Baseline and 4 weeks

• Neck Disability Index

  Functional disability will be assessed using the Neck Disability Index . The total score ranges from 0 to 50, with higher scores indicating greater disability.

  Baseline and 4 weeks

• Goniometer

  Cervical range of motion will be measured in degrees using a universal goniometer. Higher values indicate greater cervical range of motion.

  Baseline and 4 week

Study Arms (2)

Myokinetic Stretching Technique

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this group will receive Myokinetic Stretching Technique (MST) along with conventional physiotherapy, including hot pack application, cervical isometric exercises, neurodynamic gliding, and continuous cervical traction. The intervention will be conducted for 4 weeks, with 3 sessions per week, each lasting approximately 45 minutes. MST will be applied to the cervical muscles, particularly the trapezius, using controlled stretching and myofascial release techniques.

Other: Myokinetic Stretching Technique

post Facilitation stretching

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants in this group will receive Post Facilitation Stretching (PFS) along with conventional physiotherapy, including hot pack application, cervical isometric exercises, neurodynamic gliding, and continuous cervical traction. The intervention will be conducted for 4 weeks, with 3 sessions per week, each lasting approximately 45 minutes. PFS will be applied to the cervical muscles, particularly the trapezius, using a sequence of strong voluntary contraction followed by rapid passive stretching to improve muscle flexibility and reduce pain.

Other: Post facilitation stretching

Interventions

Myokinetic Stretching Technique OTHER

Participants in this group will receive Myokinetic Stretching Technique (MST) along with conventional physiotherapy treatment. The program will be delivered for 4 weeks, with 3 sessions per week on alternate days, each session lasting approximately 45 minutes. Conventional treatment will include hot pack application to the cervical region, cervical isometric exercises (flexion, extension, lateral flexion, and rotation), neurodynamic gliding techniques, and continuous cervical traction. MST will be applied to the cervical musculature, particularly the trapezius muscle. The participant will be positioned in supine, and the therapist will perform controlled lateral flexion stretching followed by myofascial release using sustained pressure (5-10 seconds). The technique will be performed in sets with brief rest intervals to improve muscle flexibility and reduce pain.

Myokinetic Stretching Technique

Post facilitation stretching OTHER

Participants in this group will receive Post Facilitation Stretching (PFS) along with conventional physiotherapy treatment. The program will be conducted for 4 weeks, with 3 sessions per week on alternate days, each session lasting approximately 45 minutes. Conventional treatment will include hot pack application to the cervical region, cervical isometric exercises (flexion, extension, lateral flexion, and rotation), neurodynamic gliding techniques, and continuous cervical traction. PFS will be applied to the cervical musculature, particularly the trapezius muscle. The participant will be positioned in supine, and the therapist will guide the muscle into a neutral position followed by a strong voluntary contraction for approximately 10 seconds. After relaxation, a rapid passive stretch will be applied and held briefly. The procedure will be repeated in sets with short rest intervals to improve muscle extensibility and reduce pain.

post Facilitation stretching

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 30 Years - 60 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Both male and female gender
• Age 30 to 60 years with a +ve spurling test and radiating arm pain for more than 4 weeks
• Unilateral cervical radicular pain
• +ve upper limb tension test and neck disability index \<50%

You may not qualify if:

• History of cervical spinal surgery
• Severe facet joint osteoarthritis
• History of fracture in the head and neck region
• Patient with cognitive dysfunction or mental illness, severe cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, liver, or kidney dysfunction
• History of dizziness, vertigo, and vomiting
• Osteoporosis and prolonged use of steroids
• Cervical myelopathy, tumor, or infectious disease

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Lahore University of Biological and Applied Sciences: lead

Study Sites (2)

Hameed Latif Hospital

Lahore, Punjab Province, 54000, Pakistan

NOT YET RECRUITING

Hameed Latif

Lahore, Pakistan

RECRUITING

Study Officials

• Shoaib Waqas

  Lahore University of Biological and Applied Sciences

  STUDY CHAIR

Central Study Contacts

Dr.Tariq Shafi, MSPT

CONTACT

03454190056; muhammad.tariq@ubas.edu.pk

Irsa Khan, MSPT

CONTACT

03096761081; irsakhan096@gmail.com

Study Design

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

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 9, 2026
• First Posted: July 24, 2026
• Study Start: June 29, 2026
• Primary Completion: July 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): September 15, 2026
• Last Updated: July 24, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-07

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP, ICF, CSR
• Time Frame: Start Date: De-identified individual participant data (IPD) along with supporting materials will be made available following publication of the main trial findings, anticipated around 12 months after the study concludes. End Date: The data will be accessible for a period of 5 years from the commencement date to eligible researchers who provide a formal application and consent to the data use agreement.
• Access Criteria: De-identified individual participant data (IPD) along with supporting documents will be available to qualified researchers for academic and non-commercial use only. To access the data, researchers must submit a written application detailing their study objectives and proposed use of the dataset. All requests will be assessed by the principal investigator Irsa and the institutional ethics committee to ensure ethical compliance and protection of participant privacy. Data Available: The shared dataset will include anonymized participant information, such as age and sex.

Locations

PA (2)