Clinical trial NCT07013942: Additional Effects of Dry Needling With PNF on Spasticity and Functional Performance in Stroke
Official title: Additional Effects of Dry Needling With PNF on Spasticity and Functional Performance in Stroke
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Spasticity
Dry Needling
Functional Performance
Keywords: Spasticity
stroke
dry needling
functional performance
EMG
Fugl meyer
Modified Ashworth scale
Lead sponsor: Foundation University Islamabad
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2025-06-10
Enrollment: 30
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 60
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: Stroke is a prevalent cause of long-term disability, with a rising global incidence. Stroke patients commonly experience impaired balance and trunk control, which limits their daily activities and quality of life. Spasticity is the result of upper motor neuron lesion in which the reflex arc is spared, however there is a lesion to the descending pathways of the spinal cord, which leads to the hyper excitability of the alpha motor neurons. Spasticity is a form of velocity dependent hypertonia. When dry needle is applied it induces relaxation in the muscle by increasing the distance between the z lines in the sarcomere and reduces the overlapping of contractile proteins, which ultimately leads to relaxation in the muscle. Dry needling also reduces the firing of the afferent pathways from the local muscle to the spinal cord reducing the excitability of the alpha motor neurons this leads to reduce spasticity. A randomized control trial will be conducted in multidisciplinary lab of FUCP, department of physical medicine and rehabilitation of Fauji Foundation Hospital on the sample of 30 participants. The subjects will be randomized into two groups by sealed opaque envelope method. A treatment over the course of 6 weeks will be provided. Interventional group will be receiving dry needling in addition to Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation while the control group will receive sham needling in addition to Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation. Exercise training would be done for a total of 6 weeks, with needling twice a week, the session will last 30- 50 minutes. Using SPSS version 21 would do analysis. Ethical approval will be obtained from ERC of FUSH. Informed written consent will be obtained from all participants.

Detailed description: * To determine the effects of balance training with and without gaze stability exercises on mobility in older adults with mild cognitive impairment. To determine the additional effects of dry needling with Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation in comparison to sham needling with proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation on spasticity in stroke.
* To determine the effects of dry needling with Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation techniques in comparison to sham needling with proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation on functional performance in stroke

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* 18 years to 65 years of age.
* Males and females
* Post stroke spasticity
* Ischemic stroke

Exclusion Criteria:

* Non-compliant Diabetic patients
* Active Hypertensive patients
* Immuno compromised patients
* Patients with underlying infections
* Patients with autoimmune diseases
* Patients that have any contagious conditions

Primary outcomes:
measure: Spasticity
timeFrame: 6 weeks
measure: Functional Performance
timeFrame: 6 weeks
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Islamabad
country: Pakistan
facility: Foundation University College of Physical Therapy
Study officials:
References: