Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Versus Dry Needling in Non Specific Chronic Neck Pain

Launched by CAIRO UNIVERSITY · Mar 18, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is looking at two different treatments for people suffering from non-specific chronic neck pain, which means neck pain that doesn’t come from a clear cause. The study compares Acupuncture-Like Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (a gentle electrical treatment) with dry needling (a technique that involves inserting thin needles into specific points in the muscle) to see which method is more effective in reducing pain and improving neck function and movement.

To participate in this trial, individuals should be between 20 and 40 years old and have at least one active trigger point in their upper trapezius muscles (these are tight, painful spots in the neck area). Participants must also have had neck pain for 2 to 4 weeks and a normal neurological exam. However, those with certain medical conditions, such as severe spinal issues, recent physical therapy, or other specific health problems, will not be eligible. If you join the trial, you can expect to receive one of the treatments and help researchers understand which is better for relieving neck pain. The trial is not yet recruiting, so stay tuned for updates if you're interested!

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• Having at least 1 active trigger point in upper trapezius muscles will use a recommended diagnostic criterion to find active MTrPs which is:
• • The presence of a palpable taut band in the skeletal muscle.
• • The presence of a hypersensitive spot in the taut band.
• • Local twitch response provoked by snapping palpation.
• • Production of a typical referred pain pattern in response to the compression of tender spots.
• • Spontaneous presence of the typical referred pain pattern.
• • Duration of symptoms of acute stage (2-4) weeks.
• • Age between (20-40) years.
• • Having a normal neurological examination result .
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Existence of cervical disc hernia, advanced cervical osteoarthritis, radiculopathy, or myelopathy.
• • Having trigger point injection or physical therapy in the last 6 months.
• • Having a rheumatologic disease, such as fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, or a hormonal disease, such as hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism or hyperparathyroidism.
• • Existence of kyphosis, scoliosis, forward head posture or cervicogenic headache.
• • History of spine surgery.
• • Having a cardiovascular problem.