Dry Needling With Percutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation and Exercises for Non-specific Chronic Neck Pain
NCT ID: NCT07015281
Last Updated: 2025-12-22
Study Results
The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.
Basic Information
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ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
NA
100 participants
INTERVENTIONAL
2025-06-30
2026-02-15
Brief Summary
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Detailed Description
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The point prevalence of neck pain in the adult population, aged 15-74 years, ranges from 5.9% to 38.7%. This prevalence has been observed to peak in the 50-74 age group. In 2017, the global age-standardized prevalence and incidence of neck pain were 3551.1 and 806.6 per 100,000 population, respectively.
Dry needling with percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation has positive short-term effects on pain intensity, pain-related disability, and mood in patients with chronic nonspecific neck pain, compared with no or minimal intervention. However, the long-term impact could not be assessed due to a lack of available studies. Furthermore, strong evidence has been found suggesting that dry needling with percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation may improve mental well-being and mood in patients with chronic neck pain, especially in those with pain induced by high levels of stress.
Conditions
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Keywords
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Study Design
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RANDOMIZED
PARALLEL
TREATMENT
DOUBLE
Study Groups
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Dry Needling with Percutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (PENS) and Therapeutic Exercises.
Patients assigned to this group (n=50) will receive an intervention in which PENS will be applied for 30 minutes with low frequency parameters (2 Hz) and a pulse width of 120 μs. After 30 minutes of PENS in both groups, the needle will be removed and a compression will be applied for 90 seconds. Once the compression will carried out, the technique will be concluded. Patients will develop a session of PENS and a session with therapeutic exercise once a week.
Therapeutic Exercise
These participants (n=50) will engage in an exercise protocol with aerobic, isometric, resistence, strength, and stretching exercises. Participants will perform these exercises with a frequency of 3 times a week for 6 weeks, with each session lasting 30 minutes.
Therapeutic Exercise
These participants (n=50) will engage in an exercise protocol with aerobic, isometric, resistence, strength, and stretching exercises. Participants will perform these exercises with a frequency of 3 times a week for 6 weeks, with each session lasting 30 minutes.
Dry Needling with Percutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (PENS) and Therapeutic Exercises.
Patients assigned to this group (n=50) will receive an intervention in which PENS will be applied for 30 minutes with low frequency parameters (2 Hz) and a pulse width of 120 μs. After 30 minutes of PENS in both groups, the needle will be removed and a compression will be applied for 90 seconds. Once the compression will carried out, the technique will be concluded. Patients will develop a session of PENS and a session with therapeutic exercise once a week.
Interventions
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Dry Needling with Percutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (PENS) and Therapeutic Exercises.
Patients assigned to this group (n=50) will receive an intervention in which PENS will be applied for 30 minutes with low frequency parameters (2 Hz) and a pulse width of 120 μs. After 30 minutes of PENS in both groups, the needle will be removed and a compression will be applied for 90 seconds. Once the compression will carried out, the technique will be concluded. Patients will develop a session of PENS and a session with therapeutic exercise once a week.
Therapeutic Exercise
These participants (n=50) will engage in an exercise protocol with aerobic, isometric, resistence, strength, and stretching exercises. Participants will perform these exercises with a frequency of 3 times a week for 6 weeks, with each session lasting 30 minutes.
Other Intervention Names
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria
* A diagnosis of non-specific neck pain,
* Acceptance and signing of informed consent for voluntary participation in the research study.
* Not currently receiving physiotherapy.
Exclusion Criteria
* Patients with osteosynthesis material at the cervical level and/or cardiac, epileptic, or tumour-related complications.
* Patients who have undergone radiotherapy. in the last 6 months.
18 Years
65 Years
ALL
No
Sponsors
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Universidad de Almeria
OTHER
Responsible Party
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Adelaida María Castro-Sánchez
PhD
Locations
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Adelaida María Castro Sánchez
Almería, Almeria, Spain
Countries
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References
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Hernandez JVL, Calvo-Lobo C, Zugasti AM, Fernandez-Carnero J, Beltran Alacreu H. Effectiveness of Dry Needling with Percutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation of High Frequency Versus Low Frequency in Patients with Myofascial Neck Pain. Pain Physician. 2021 Mar;24(2):135-143.
Galasso A, Urits I, An D, Nguyen D, Borchart M, Yazdi C, Manchikanti L, Kaye RJ, Kaye AD, Mancuso KF, Viswanath O. A Comprehensive Review of the Treatment and Management of Myofascial Pain Syndrome. Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2020 Jun 27;24(8):43. doi: 10.1007/s11916-020-00877-5.
Chen IW, Liao YT, Tseng H, Lin HC, Chou LW. Pain, function and peritendinous effusion improvement after dry needling in patients with long head of biceps brachii tendinopathy: a single-blind randomized clinical trial. Ann Med. 2024 Dec;56(1):2391528. doi: 10.1080/07853890.2024.2391528. Epub 2024 Aug 14.
Moro MZ, de Oliveira Vidal EI, Pinheiro Modolo NS, Bono Fukushima F, Moreira de Barros GA. Dry needling, trigger point electroacupuncture and motor point electroacupuncture for the treatment of myofascial pain syndrome involving the trapezius: a randomised clinical trial. Acupunct Med. 2024 Feb;42(1):3-13. doi: 10.1177/09645284231207865. Epub 2023 Oct 31.
Leon-Hernandez JV, Martin-Pintado-Zugasti A, Frutos LG, Alguacil-Diego IM, de la Llave-Rincon AI, Fernandez-Carnero J. Immediate and short-term effects of the combination of dry needling and percutaneous TENS on post-needling soreness in patients with chronic myofascial neck pain. Braz J Phys Ther. 2016 Jul 11;20(5):422-431. doi: 10.1590/bjpt-rbf.2014.0176.
Baumann AN, Fiorentino A, Oleson CJ, Leland JM 3rd. The Impact of Dry Needling With Electrical Stimulation on Pain and Disability in Patients With Musculoskeletal Shoulder Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Cureus. 2023 Jul 5;15(7):e41404. doi: 10.7759/cureus.41404. eCollection 2023 Jul.
G A, Gupta AK, Kumar D, Mishra S, Yadav G, Singha Roy M, Prajapti L. Efficacy of Dry Needling Versus Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation in Patients With Neck Pain Due to Myofascial Trigger Points: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Cureus. 2023 Mar 21;15(3):e36473. doi: 10.7759/cureus.36473. eCollection 2023 Mar.
Brennan K, Elifritz KM, Comire MM, Jupiter DC. Rate and maintenance of improvement of myofascial pain with dry needling alone vs. dry needling with intramuscular electrical stimulation: a randomized controlled trial. J Man Manip Ther. 2021 Aug;29(4):216-226. doi: 10.1080/10669817.2020.1824469. Epub 2020 Sep 29.
Other Identifiers
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AP-0429-2023-C4-F3
Identifier Type: -
Identifier Source: org_study_id