Active Release Versus Positional Release Technique

NCT07756021 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: IRB/2023/113
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 30
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain is the pain with tension, soreness or stiffness of lower back muscles lasting from 3 months or longer due to off unidentifiable cause. Low back pain (LBP), one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders seen in the general population and has effect on every age group. The objective of the study is to compare effects of positional and active release technique on pain and flexibility among chronic non-specific low back pain patients. This study was a Randomized Clinical trial and was conducted at Arif Memorial teaching hospital. A sample size of Total 30 patients was taken in this study using a consecutive sampling technique. Patients were randomly assigned into two groups. Group A was treated with positional release therapy (PRT) and Group B was treated with active release therapy (ART). Then the evaluation was done on day one as pre-treatment values and post treatment values were assessed after receiving the treatment session of 6 days for 2 consecutive weeks. The collected data was analyzed on SPSS 25. By using the Shapiro-wilk test found that the data was normally distributed with a p-value\>0.05. By using paired t-test it has been that both techniques show significant results are effective for treating chronic non-specific low back pain. Using independent t-test with p-value\<0.05 it has been found that Positional Release Technique being superior to Active Release Technique with p-value\<0.05 by bringing the reduced flexibility to near normal and pain to the lowest level. The results suggest that both Active Release Technique and Positional Release Technique are effective in reducing the pain and improving the flexibility of the muscles in patients with Chronic non-specific low back pain. But Positional Release Technique has shown significant reduction in pain and increasing the flexibility of the muscles thus considered to be more effective than Active Release Technique.

Conditions

Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain

Keywords

Active release therapy (ART); Chronic non-specific Low back pain; Positional release therapy (PRT); flexibility

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (5)

• Numerical Pain Rating Scale

  It is used to assess pain

  Pre and post 2 weeks

• Active Knee Extension Test

  It is used to assess Hamstring Flexibility

  Pre and Post 2 weeks

• Flexion, Adduction, and Internal Rotation (FAIR) Test

  It is used to measure Piriformis Flexibility

  Pre and 2 weeks post intervention

• Thomas Test

  It is used to measure Iliopsoas Flexibility

  Pre and Post 2 weeks intervention

• Ankle Dorsiflexion Test

  It is used to assess Gastrocnemius Flexibility

  Pre and 2 week Post intervention

Study Arms (2)

Baseline treatment + Positional Release Technique

EXPERIMENTAL

Other: Baseline Treatment + Positional Release Therapy

Baseline treatment + Active Release Technique

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Other: Baseline treatment + Active Release Therapy

Interventions

Baseline Treatment + Positional Release Therapy OTHER

Baseline treatment: Hot pack for 10 mins Positional Release Therapy: For Hamstring, Piriformis, Gastrocnemius and Iliopsoas

Baseline treatment + Positional Release Technique

Baseline treatment + Active Release Therapy OTHER

Baseline treatment: Hot pack for 10 mins Active Release Therapy: For Hamstring, Piriformis, Gastrocnemius and Iliopsoas

Baseline treatment + Active Release Technique

Eligibility Criteria

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

You may qualify if:

• Patients with Low Back Pain (for more than 3 months) with Mild and Moderate Intensity, Tenderness over Low Back, Buttocks and Hip Joint

You may not qualify if:

• Patients with Inflammatory Conditions (RA, Ankylosing Spondylosis)
• Patients with previous history of surgery around Hip and Knee
• Patients with Peripheral Vascular Disease

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Rashid Latif Medical College: lead

Study Sites (1)

Arif Memorial Teaching Hospital

Lahore, 54600, Pakistan

Location

Related Publications (6)

• Javed Z, Safdar M. Comparative effects of post isometric relaxation and active release technique of calf muscles in young females; Randomized Clinical Trial. J Pak Med Assoc. 2026 Mar;76(3):353-357. doi: 10.47391/JPMA.22142.

  PMID: 42017715 RESULT

• Palermo M, Reich S, Rives M. The Effect of Active Release Technique on Hamstring Extensibility: A Critically Appraised Topic. J Sport Rehabil. 2024 Jan 30;33(3):202-207. doi: 10.1123/jsr.2023-0229. Print 2024 Mar 1.

  PMID: 38290513 RESULT

• Alarab A, Daoud R, Hegazy MM. Positional Release Technique Versus Muscle Energy Technique for Patients With Nonspecific Low Back Pain With Facet Joint Restriction: A Pilot Randomized Comparative Study. Pain Res Manag. 2026;2026(1):e9964889. doi: 10.1155/prm/9964889.

  PMID: 41873799 RESULT

• Yadav R, Sharma S. Efficacy of Myofascial Release Therapy and Positional Release Therapy in Patients with Upper Trapezius Trigger Points: Study Protocol of a Double-blinded Randomized Clinical Trial. Int J Ther Massage Bodywork. 2024 Dec 12;17(4):49-57. doi: 10.3822/ijtmb.v17i4.1041. eCollection 2024 Dec.

  PMID: 39669544 RESULT

• Sultatos LG, Minor LD. Biotransformation of paraoxon and p-nitrophenol by isolated perfused mouse livers. Toxicology. 1985 Aug;36(2-3):159-69. doi: 10.1016/0300-483x(85)90051-4.

  PMID: 4049428 RESULT

• Danazumi MS, Zakari UU, Yakasai AM, Speicher TE, Dermody G, Hassan AB. Positional release technique in the management of low back pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2025 Oct;44:295-311. doi: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2025.05.021. Epub 2025 May 13.

  PMID: 40954594 RESULT

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: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Senior Lecturer

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 5, 2026
• First Posted: August 10, 2026
• Study Start: August 8, 2025
• Primary Completion: August 10, 2025
• Study Completion: January 10, 2026
• Last Updated: August 10, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-08

Locations

PA (1)