Can tiny needles zap away back pain? new trial aims to find out
NCT ID NCT06338514
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Aug 25, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tests whether dry needling—inserting thin needles into muscle trigger points—can reduce back pain and improve daily function. Fifty adults with back pain from myofascial trigger points will receive either real or sham dry needling. Neither they nor the evaluator will know which treatment they got. The goal is to see if real needling offers more relief than the placebo.
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 provide a simple, non-drug option for easing back pain caused by muscle trigger points.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with only 50 people. The sham procedure may also provide some relief, making it hard to prove real benefit. Results may not apply to everyone with back pain.
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
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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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About 50 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2024
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- 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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18 to 80 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- 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: * Clinically diagnosed with Dorsal Myofascial Pain Syndrome associated with rhomboid and trapezius trigger point. * Having a shoulder pain Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score of 6 or higher. * Ability to read and write Exclusion Criteria: * History of spinal surgery. * Lesions, atrophy, or scars in the skin around the back. * Undergoing physiotherapy targeting the back and lumbar region in the last 6 months. * Undergoing an interventional procedure for back or lumbar pain in the last 3 months. * Use of steroids in the last 1 month. * Special conditions such as epilepsy, pregnancy, injection phobia, etc. * Inability to comply with the restriction on the use of steroid and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs during the treatment period.
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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.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Kütahya Health Sciences University
RECRUITINGKütahya, 43020, Turkey (Türkiye)
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