Can special exercises ease piriformis pain? new study investigates
NCT ID NCT07403045
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study looked at whether adding a muscle relaxation technique (integrated neuromuscular inhibition) to a standard set of strengthening exercises (McGill program) helps people with piriformis syndrome more than the exercises alone. Fifty-six adults with chronic buttock pain from piriformis syndrome took part. Researchers measured pain, hip movement, and daily function over six weeks.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- McGill strengthening exercises program and integrated neuromuscular inhibition technique
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward a more effective physical therapy approach for easing piriformis syndrome pain and improving hip movement.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, completed study with only 56 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The exercises require supervision and 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
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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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56 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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May 2025
- Finished
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Nov 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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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: * Both genders with age ranged from 25 and 45 years * Sedentary * Non-traumatic * Idiopathic * External tenderness near the greater sciatic notch * Pain for more than 1 month's duration * NPRS ranging from \>3 to ≤ 6 * Positive results on three of the following five tests: 1. FAIR 2. Beatty 3. Laségue 4. Pace 5. Freiberg Exclusion Criteria: * Acute low back pain and/or acute lumbar radiculopathy * History of Stroke or any other neurological disorders * Recent buttock trauma * Inflammatory, infectious or tumor diseases * Severe vascular disease * Osteoporosis * 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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Mumtaz Bakhtawar Memorial Trust Hospital, Mustafa Town
Lahore, Punjab Province, Pakistan
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Massage vs stretch: which eases piriformis pain better?
- Gentle muscle moves may ease piriformis pain – which works best?
- Laser or shockwave: which eases piriformis pain best?