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Could a needle in the neck ease headache pain?

NCT ID NCT06100588

Disease control Sponsor: University Ghent 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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Jul 13, 2026 · Last updated Jul 14, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This trial investigates whether adding dry needling to manual therapy helps people with myofascial headache. Participants receive either manual therapy alone or manual therapy plus dry needling over four sessions. The study measures changes in headache-related disability, neck function, and pain. It aims to see if the combination offers extra relief.

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 it works, this could point toward a more effective treatment for myofascial headache, reducing pain and disability.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-stage trial. The added benefit of dry needling may be small or not last long, and results may not apply to all headache types.

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 152 people

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

Started

Dec 2023

Expected to finish

Jan 2027

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 65 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: * \< 15 headache days per month * \> 5 episodes of the headache that gives hindrance * Mean NPRS score for headache episodes \>2/10 * No history of whiplash * No serious structural pathology * No previous surgeries in the head/neck/shoulder region To be included in the RCT-part of the study: \- Fitting the ICHD criteria for MFH Exclusion Criteria: * Diagnosis of migraine by a neurologist or as confirmed via the Headache Screening Questionnaire (HSQ) with the maximum score of 8/8. * Chronic headache (\>15 headache days/month) * Newly onset headache (\<5 previous episodes of new headache type) * Whiplash or whiplash associated disorders * Serious structural pathology (confirmed by medical imaging) * Pain on both sides of the body, above and under the waist, (with a total score of 7 or more out of 10) (=Widespread pain) * Cardiovascular/metabolic/systemic/neurological diseases * Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome * History of surgery in the head/neck or shoulder region * Probable or definite neuropathic pain (according to the classification of Finnerup et al.) * Traumatic onset of the complaints * Pregnancy/given birth/breastfeeding in the preceding year * Psychiatric illnesses or depression diagnosed by a psychiatrist and currently treated by a psychiatrist and/or medication. * BMI \>30 For all of RCT-patients, the following criteria will also lead to exclusion due to the dry needling intervention: * Usage of heavy blood thinners or anti-coagulants (e.g. Marcoumar, Marevan, Sintrom) * High risk of infection because of comorbidities (e.g. HIV, diabetes) or skin conditions in the neck region (e.g. psoriasis) * Epilepsy * Allergies for latex, nickel * Needle phobia

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Headache myofascial pain syndrome Post-Traumatic Headache Tension-Type Headache

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Cervicogenic headache Myofascial headache Tension-type headache

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Universitair ziekenhuis Gent

    Ghent, Oost-Vlaanderen, 9000, Belgium

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