Effects of Minimally Invasive Techniques in Healthy and Chronic Cervical Pain Individuals

Brief Summary: This project consists of two sequential experimental phases designed to analyze the immediate and 24-hour effects of three invasive physiotherapy techniques -dry needling (DN), percutaneous neuromodulation (PENS), and percutaneous electrolysis (EPE)- on muscle tone and pain perception. In the first phase, the study will be conducted on healthy volunteers to assess the physiological responses and safety profile of the interventions under controlled conditions. Each participant will receive one of the three randomly assigned interventions (DN, PENS, or EPE), applied to the upper trapezius muscle. Pain perception (Visual Analog Scale, VAS) and muscle mechanical properties (tone, stiffness, and elasticity) will be measured before and after the intervention, and after 24 hours, using the MyotonPRO device. In the second phase, the same protocol and parameters will be applied to patients with chronic neck pain, in order to compare the magnitude and persistence of the effects between healthy subjects and symptomatic individuals. This study aims to improve understanding of the short-term physiological mechanisms of invasive physiotherapy techniques and their relative effectiveness in managing chronic neck pain. The findings will contribute to the development of more precise and evidence-based treatment protocols for musculoskeletal pain.

NCT Number	NCT07345793
Lead Sponsor	Universidad Europea de Madrid
Conditions	Chronic Neck Pain
Enrollment	60 participants
Start Date	2026-01-19
Primary Completion	2026-01-28 (estimated)
Study Completion	2026-02-02 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-02-18