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Treatment Validation for Myofascial Pain

RecruitingNot applicableNCT07133139
View the official record on ClinicalTrials.gov

Recruiting status changes often. Contact the study team listed on ClinicalTrials.gov, and talk to your doctor before joining a study.

This study has no listed site in Canada in this snapshot. It is included as part of the worldwide chronic pain corpus.

Brief summary (from the registry)

The goal of this clinical trial is to see if a body test called the NUN biomarker can track changes in chronic low back pain after dry needling and predict who will feel better. This study is for adults with chronic low back pain from muscle pain (Myofacial Pain). The main questions are: * Does the biomarker drop when pain improves? * Can it predict who benefits most? * Do higher starting levels mean better results with real dry needling? Investigators will compare real and fake (sham) dry needling using ultrasound, muscle pressure tests, and pain reports before and after treatment.

Study details

Official title
Treatment Validation of an Ultrasound Imaging Biomarker for Myofascial Pain
Conditions
Interventions
  • Device: Dry Needling
  • Device: Sham Dry Needling
  • Other: NUN Biomarker
Sponsor
Ajay Wasan, MD, Msc
Collaborators
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
Organization
University of Pittsburgh
Start date
2025-10-06
Primary completion
2028-12-31
Sex
All
Age range
from 20 Years to 70 Years
Results posted
No results posted in this snapshot
Countries
United States
Total sites listed
1

Eligibility criteria

Show eligibility criteria (verbatim from the registry)
Inclusion Criteria: * Ages 20-70; * Predominantly axial LBP (meeting NIH definition of cLBP with daily pain for at least 3 months) with a MP component as determined by the standardized examination for MP; * Average pain score of \> 3/10, with low back pain being the primary pain site; * CLBP meeting Quebec Task Force Classification System categories I-III (from axial pain only to pain radiating beyond the knee without neurological signs). Constant radicular pain associated with sensory loss is likely a confounder to dry needling treatment success; * NO HISTORY of receiving dry needling, to improve the effectiveness of the blind; * Demonstration of healthcare seeking at some point for LBP. Exclusion Criteria: * Back surgery within the past six months; * Active workers' compensation or litigation claims, since these patients are more likely to have exaggerated pain behavior; * New pain treatments within 2 weeks of enrollment; * Any clinically unstable systemic illness or condition that is judged to interfere with the trial; * Non-ambulatory status; * Not able to complete the questionnaire * Currently pregnant or have intentions to become pregnant during the study.

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov (US National Library of Medicine), snapshot October 2026. Check the registry for current recruiting status. Record: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07133139