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Can dry needling rewire the Brain's response to knee pain?

NCT ID NCT05976269

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Ohio State University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing This study
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study looks at how chronic bilateral knee pain changes the brain's ability to recognize left from right, and whether dry needling can improve movement and muscle function. Sixty adults aged 18 to 40 with patellofemoral pain will be split into groups based on their fear of movement, plus a healthy control group. Participants will undergo tests before and after a single dry needling session to measure brain response, movement patterns, and muscle health.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
dry needling
What this could lead to
If successful, this study could help explain how the brain processes knee pain and whether dry needling can improve movement and muscle function.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-stage study with only 60 participants and no follow-up. Results may not apply to everyone with knee pain, and dry needling may not produce lasting benefits.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 60 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Jul 2020

Expected to finish

Jul 2030

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 40 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * For high fear group: Age between 18 and 40 years old, pain greater than or equal to 3 months, Tampa scale of kinesiophobia \>37, anterior knee pain scale \<90, and no evidence of knee OA * For low fear group: Age between 18 and 40 years old, pain greater than or equal to 3 months, Tampa scale of kinesiophobia \<37, anterior knee pain scale \<90, and no evidence of knee OA * For control group: no surgery in past 6 months, age between 18 and 40 years old, no knee OA, Tampa Scale \<10, and anterior knee pains scale \>90 Exclusion Criteria: * Knee surgery in past 6 months, previous dry needling or acupuncture to knee, pregnancy, menicscal/cartilage/ligamentous injury, history of patellar subluxations, dislocations, or MPFL reconstruction, contraindications to dry needling or acupuncture, or neurological condition that affects movement.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

patellofemoral pain syndrome

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Patellofemoral pain

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Jameson Crane Sports Medicine Institute

    Columbus, Ohio, 43202, United States

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