Simple muscle tricks may ease computer neck pain
NCT ID NCT06918535
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether two simple techniques—progressive muscle relaxation (tensing and relaxing muscles) and muscle energy technique (gentle muscle stretching)—can reduce neck pain and disability in people who use computers for 6+ hours daily. Sixty adults with chronic neck pain will be randomly assigned to one of the two methods for 12 sessions over 2 weeks. The goal is to see which approach better eases pain and improves movement.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Progressive Muscle Relaxation Technique and Muscle Energy Technique
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward simple, drug-free exercises to reduce neck pain and disability in people who sit at computers for long hours.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with only 60 participants and a short 2-week follow-up. Results may not apply to everyone, and the benefits might be modest or temporary.
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 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2025
- Expected to finish
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Apr 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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20 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: * Persons using computer more than 6 hours throughout the day, intermittently both genders. * Age between 20-45. * Hypertonicity of trapezius muscle and SCM muscle. Specifically, those workers have neck pain and stiffness (including trouble tilting or turning head). Patients who reported small tightening and spasm at the posterior aspect of their neck are included, also associated with more diffuse neck pain patterns that included the following: headache, (upper back, neck and shoulder pain) numbness/ tingling in the hand/arm. * Pain intensity of 2 on the NRS and presence of at least one latent trigger point in a taut band in the neck region. Exclusion Criteria: * Recent trauma to the cervical region * Exclusion criteria based on with any serious pathology such as specific neck pain due to disc prolapsed, tumor of cervical spine, whiplash injury, cervical fractures, Cervicogenic headache, and any neurological signs consistent with nerve root compression
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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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Sindh Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
RECRUITINGKarachi, Sindh, 74200, Pakistan
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can diaphragm exercises ease stubborn neck pain?
- Can deep breathing loosen the grip of neck pain?
- Does stretchy tape really soothe knotted neck muscles?