Cure My Disease

Don't miss your cure!

 Log in / Sign up

Does stretchy tape really soothe knotted neck muscles?

NCT ID NCT07790042

Symptom relief Sponsor: Pamukkale 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 This study
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
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Aug 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 28, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This trial tests whether kinesio taping, a stretchy tape applied to the skin, can reduce pain and muscle stiffness in people with myofascial trigger points in the upper trapezius muscle, a common source of neck and shoulder pain. Forty adults with active trigger points will receive either real kinesio taping or a sham tape over two weeks. Researchers will measure pressure pain threshold, pain intensity, muscle thickness, and stiffness to see if the tape offers real relief beyond a placebo effect.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
Kinesio taping (muscle inhibition technique), an elastic therapeutic tape applied over the upper trapezius trigger point
What this could lead to
If it works, kinesio taping could offer a simple, low-cost, non-invasive way to reduce neck and shoulder pain from trigger points.
What could go wrong
The trial is small (40 people) and short (two weeks), and the sham comparison will test whether any benefit is real or just a placebo effect.

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 40 people

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

Expected to start

Aug 2026

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Oct 2026

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

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

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: * Age between 18 and 65 years * At least one active myofascial trigger point in the upper trapezius muscle diagnosed on clinical examination according to the criteria of Travell and Simons * Neck and/or shoulder pain lasting at least 3 months * Able to understand the procedures, benefits and possible adverse effects * Able to provide written informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * Diagnosis of fibromyalgia syndrome * Cervical disc herniation, radiculopathy or myelopathy * History of cervical or shoulder surgery * History of trauma, fracture or structural deformity of the neck region * Inflammatory rheumatic disease, malignancy or serious systemic disease * Neurological disease or peripheral neuropathy * Kinesio taping to the trigger point, injection, dry needling or physical therapy to the neck region within the previous 6 months * Use of analgesics, muscle relaxants or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs within the previous week * Active skin lesion, wound, dermatological disease or known allergy to tape at the application site * Pregnancy or lactation

Get updates

Get notified about this study

Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Myofascial pain syndromes are added.

Our safety recommendation!

By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

myofascial pain syndrome Neck Pain

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Myofascial pain syndromes Myofascial trigger point pain Neck pain

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Pamukkale University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

    Denizli, Turkey (Türkiye)

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.