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Headache relief showdown: which neck therapy works best?

NCT ID NCT06938256

Symptom relief Sponsor: Riphah International University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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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
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 20, 2026 · Last updated Jul 21, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This trial tests two hands-on physical therapy methods—suboccipital muscle inhibition and Rocabado exercises—to see which better eases cervicogenic headaches (headaches that start from neck problems). Forty adults aged 20 to 50 with chronic headaches will be randomly assigned to one of the two groups. Researchers measure pain, neck movement, and balance over two weeks to compare the techniques.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
physical therapy techniques: suboccipital muscle inhibition and Rocabado 6x6 exercises
What this could lead to
If one technique proves more effective, it could offer a better non-drug option for managing chronic cervicogenic headaches.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-stage trial with only 40 participants, so results may not apply broadly. Both techniques are low-risk, but individual responses vary.

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

40 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Jan 2025

Finished

Jul 2025

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

20 to 50 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: * Participants with a history of chronic CGH (\>3 months) * CGH pain intensity between 3 and 8 on NPRS * Participants who had a unilateral headache that do not shift side (ipsilateral neck pain/stiffness) * Pain at least once a week in the previous three months, chronic, episodic, and duration one hour to weeks (non-throbbing pain starts in the neck). * CGH due to cervical spine dysfunction * Neck pain followed by headache * Patients with neck stiffness and movement restriction were included. * Flexion Rotation Test results that are positive with a restriction of more than 10 degrees. Exclusion Criteria: * Participants with other types of headache migraine, sinus, tumor, neural, or temporomandibular joint issues) * Cervicogenic headache patients with mixed headache or any diagnosed serious pathology of alar ligament and vertebra basilar artery insufficiency * Any contraindications to manual and manipulative therapy (fracture, instability, osteoporosis, arthropathy, or neural symptoms) * Using analgesics or corticosteroids * Metastasis * Cardiac conditions (stroke, hypertension, or syncope) * Neurological conditions (radiculopathy, myelopathy, or disc problems) * Spinal cord problem * Previous brain and spinal cord surgery * Occlusal splints or any surgery in Temporomandibular joint area.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Post-Traumatic Headache

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Cervicogenic headache

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • National Institute of Rehabilitation and Medicine

    Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan

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