Can core or shoulder exercises boost hand strength in neck pain sufferers?

NCT ID NCT07692126

Symptom relief Sponsor: Cairo University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jul 09, 2026 · Last updated Jul 10, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study compares two types of exercises—core stability and scapular stabilization—to see which better improves hand grip strength in people with chronic myofascial neck pain. Participants will be assigned to one of three groups: core exercises, scapular exercises, or standard physical therapy. The goal is to find out which approach most effectively reduces pain and improves hand function.

What this could mean

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

Active substance: Core stability exercises and scapular stabilization exercises
What this could lead to: If one exercise approach proves superior, it could lead to more effective physical therapy for chronic neck pain and related hand weakness.
What could go wrong: This is a small, early-stage trial with only 60 participants. Results may not apply to everyone, and exercise benefits can vary widely.

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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

Jun 2026

Expected to finish

Jun 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

25 to 45 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: 1. Patients diagnosed with chronic myofascial neck pain depending on referral, and physical examination. 2. Sixty patients diagnosed with chronic myofascial neck pain for more than six months. 3. Patients age range will 25-45 years 4. Patients body mass index (BMI) will be 18.5-24.9 kg/m2 5. Each patient suffering from all active MTrPs in the upper trapezius muscle with painful/ tender nodule. 6. Patients have a constant neck pain with positive jump sign when palpating the upper trapezius muscle. 7. Patients have referred pain, and symptoms of ipsilateral hand muscle weakness. 8. No history of undergoing physiotherapy modalities or corticosteroid injection therapies in the past six months before the study Exclusion Criteria: 1. Presence of signs of severe pathology such as malignancies, mainly of the cervical region. 2. Fracture of the cervical spine. 3. Cervical radiculopathy or myelopathy. 4. Diabetes mellitus. 5. Trauma, cognitive anomalies, and surgery around neck, shoulders, or hand. 6. Fibromyalgia or vascular syndromes such as vertebral basilar insufficiency. 7. Pregnancy. 8. Having undergone physical therapy within the past three months before the study. 9. Having corticosteroid injection therapies in the past 3 months before the study.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

myofascial pain syndrome

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Core muscle weakness Disability of the arm, shoulder, and hand questionnaire Hand grip strength Myofascial neck pain Neck pain musculoskeletal Pressure pain threshold Scapular muscle endurance Trigger point in trapezius muscle

How to take part

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

The places running it

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

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

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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.

Can core or shoulder exercises boost hand strength in neck pain sufferers?

What the study statuses mean