Effects of Active Release Technique Versus Stecco Facial Manipulation in Patient With Chronic Non-specific Neck Pain

NCT07724600 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: REC/RCR & AHS/25/0138 Fatima-N
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 48
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

Non-specific pain that originates from the superior nuchal line and extends to the first thoracic vertebrae. It is exacerbated by sustained neck postures, neck movements or cervical muscle palpation. Neck pain is a work-related musculoskeletal disease that can arise during prolonged or high-intensity activity. Increasingly, individuals seek medical attention for discomfort in the neck, upper extremities, and head caused by chronic tension. Neck discomfort is often caused by mechanical dysfunction that restricts joint movement inside the joint capsule. Active Release Technique(ART) is a manual release of tight soft tissue which targets on SCM, levator scapulae, suboccipital and Upper trapezius. Stecco Fascial Manipulation is an efficient manual soft tissue treatment method that particularly address in the areas of myofascial pain and discomfort, locomotor issues, and posture dysfunction. The aim of this study is to treat the patients having chronic non specific neck pain through the Active Release Technique (ART) and Stecco Facial Manipulation and to compare their effects that can affect cervical flexibility and to improve the symptom parameters of the regarding individual.

Conditions

Non Specific Chronic Neck Pain

Keywords

Chronic non-specific neck pain, Functional Disability, Pain, Range of Motion, Stecco.

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Numeric pain rate scale

  The numerical rating scale (0-10), with 0 meaning no pain, and 10 meaning the worst unbearable pain, as measurement of pain intensity.

  upto 6 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• 2. Universal Goniometer

  upto 6 weeks

• Neck Disability index for functional Disability (NDI)

  upto 6 weeks

• Flexion Rotation Test

  upto 6 weeks

Study Arms (2)

GROUP A: Active Release Technique

EXPERIMENTAL

Group A will be treated with the active release technique

Other: Active Release Technique

GROUP B: Stecco Method

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Group B was treated with stecco method

Other: STECCO Method

Interventions

Active Release Technique OTHER

Active release technique is a manual release of tight soft tissue that targets the upper trapezius, SCM, Levator scapulae, and sub occipital muscle to improve posture and reduce tightness and pain

GROUP A: Active Release Technique

STECCO Method OTHER

Stecco method, also known as Fascial Manipulation, is a manual therapy technique developed by Luigi Stecco, which focuses on releasing tension and restoring normal glide in the fascial system, especially where myofascial dysfunction is contributing to pain and restriction. Stecco method is applied specifically to the Levator scapulae, SCM, subocccipital, and upper trapezius muscles .All commonly involved in chronic non-specific neck pain.

GROUP B: Stecco Method

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 20 Years - 40 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Individuals of both genders
• Age between 20-40yrs(19).
• Neck pain persisting for more than 3 months
• Neck Disability Index (NDI) score between 10-30) (20).

You may not qualify if:

• Patients with history of trauma or surgery were excluded.
• Cervical pain patients with radiculopathy were excluded.
• Patients diagnosed cases of rheumatoid arthritis, or any systemic musculoskeletal disorders were excluded.
• Patients use of muscle relaxants or undergoing any other physiotherapy for neck issues in the past 3 months were excluded.
• Patients with cervical disc herniation or whiplash injuries were excluded.
• Pregnancy or known hormonal conditions affecting musculoskeletal system were excluded.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Riphah International University: lead

Related Publications (10)

• Prablek M, Gadot R, Xu DS, Ropper AE. Neck Pain: Differential Diagnosis and Management. Neurol Clin. 2023 Feb;41(1):77-85. doi: 10.1016/j.ncl.2022.07.003. Epub 2022 Oct 29.

  PMID: 36400560 BACKGROUND

• Frouzanian M, Shirdel SS, Meskar H, Shahrezaee M, Chamanara M, Ghanbarpour Juybari A, et al. Muscle Morphology and Its Role in Chronic Neck Pain: A Review Article. Translational Health Reports. 2025;1(1):1-11.

  BACKGROUND

• Al-Khazali HM, Kroll LS, Ashina H, Melo-Carrillo A, Burstein R, Amin FM, Ashina S. Neck pain and headache: Pathophysiology, treatments and future directions. Musculoskelet Sci Pract. 2023 Aug;66:102804. doi: 10.1016/j.msksp.2023.102804. Epub 2023 Jun 16.

  PMID: 37394323 BACKGROUND

• Kaiser JT, Reddy V, Launico MV, Lugo-Pico JG. Anatomy, Head and Neck: Cervical Vertebrae. 2023 Oct 24. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2026 Jan-. Available from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK539734/

  PMID: 30969556 BACKGROUND

• Sarig-Bahat H. Evidence for exercise therapy in mechanical neck disorders. Man Ther. 2003 Feb;8(1):10-20. doi: 10.1054/math.2002.0480.

  PMID: 12586557 BACKGROUND

• Khired Z. The Prevalence of and Factors Associated With Neck Pain Among Jazan Adult Population. Cureus. 2022 Aug 14;14(8):e28008. doi: 10.7759/cureus.28008. eCollection 2022 Aug.

  PMID: 35982755 BACKGROUND

• Ko T, Jeong U, Lee K. Effects of the Inclusion Thoracic Mobilization into Cranio-Cervical Flexor Exercise in Patients with Chronic Neck Pain. Journal of physical therapy science. 2010;22(1):87-91.

  BACKGROUND

• Rajkumar RP. The influence of cultural and religious factors on cross-national variations in the prevalence of chronic back and neck pain: an analysis of data from the global burden of disease 2019 study. Front Pain Res (Lausanne). 2023 May 25;4:1189432. doi: 10.3389/fpain.2023.1189432. eCollection 2023.

  PMID: 37305205 BACKGROUND

• Shah DH, Shukla YU. Effect of craniocervical flexion training in mechanical neck pain on proprioception, endurance and pain-an interventional study. 2020.

  BACKGROUND

• Kazeminasab S, Nejadghaderi SA, Amiri P, Pourfathi H, Araj-Khodaei M, Sullman MJM, Kolahi AA, Safiri S. Neck pain: global epidemiology, trends and risk factors. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2022 Jan 3;23(1):26. doi: 10.1186/s12891-021-04957-4.

  PMID: 34980079 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Pain

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

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

Study Officials

• Fatima Nadeem, MSPT*

  Riphah International University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Sumrod Akram

CONTACT

03324806143; samrood.akram@riphah.edu.pk

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 21, 2026
• First Posted: July 24, 2026
• Study Start: July 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): November 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 30, 2026
• Last Updated: July 24, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-07

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share