Which manual therapy eases piriformis pain better? small study pits stretch vs. release
NCT ID NCT07547059
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study compared two hands-on treatments—post-facilitation stretch and active release technique—for piriformis syndrome in 40 women aged 25 to 45. Researchers measured pain, disability, quality of life, and hip movement over six weeks. The goal was to see which approach offers more relief for this common cause of buttock and leg pain.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- manual therapy (post-facilitation stretch or active release technique)
- What this could lead to
- If one technique proves more effective, it could offer a better non-drug option for easing piriformis syndrome symptoms.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, completed study with only 40 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. Both techniques are manual therapies with limited risk but may not work for all patients.
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
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40 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jun 2025
- Finished
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Dec 2025
- Lead sponsor
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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
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25 to 45 years
- Sex
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Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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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 Hide 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: * 25 to 45-year-old women. * Clinically diagnosed with piriformis syndrome by Orthopaedic Surgeon. * Unilateral pain. * Sitting exacerbates buttock pain. * External soreness in the vicinity of the greater sciatic notch. * Positive findings on standard piriformis syndrome clinical tests (FAIR, Beatty, Freiberg, and Pace). * Limited SLR ability Exclusion Criteria: * History of trauma and malignancies. * Hip dislocation, osteoporosis, and femur fractures. * Any postural abnormality, including disc pathology. * Patients with neurological symptom, metabolic disease (RA) and diagnosed psychological problem. * Pregnancy.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Faculty of Allied Health & Biological Sciences
Islamabad, Pakistan
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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