Effects of 9 Points Electrical Dry Needling in Knee Osteoarthritis

February 4, 2026 updated by: Riphah International University

Effects of 9 Points Electrical Dry Needling on Pain, Range of Motion, Function and Quality of Life in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis

The study will be conducted to compare effects of 9 points electrical dry needling along with standard physical therapy and standard physical therapy alone in knee osteoarthritis patients.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
44

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Pakistan
    • Balochistan
      • Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan, 87900
        • Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Hospital, Quetta
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Malaika Imran, MS-OMPT

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • participants age group from 40-60 years
  • Both male and female genders
  • Knee osteoarthritis (OA) confirmed by radiographic evidence (Kellgren- Lawrence grade 3).
  • Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) ≥ 4/10.
  • Able to stand and bear weight on affected knee.
  • WOMAC score > 25 moderate level of difficulty performing ADL
  • Participant with restricted range of motion
  • Pain while walking and ascending stairs
  • Patients volunteered to participate in the study and signed informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Mild to severe knee osteoarthritis (Kellgren-Lawrence grade 2 or 4).
  • Recent knee surgery or injection (<6 months).
  • Knee instability and ligamentous injury.
  • Pregnancy and breastfeeding.
  • Patient with needle phobia and with history of abnormal reaction to needles.
  • Diagnosed psychological disorders
  • Anticoagulant patient, tumors and hematomas.
  • All acute emergencies and acute systematic fevers.
  • Pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Experimental : 9 points electrical dry needling along with standard physical therapy
3 times per week for 6 weeks
Other: 9 points electrical dry needling
9 points electrical dry needling, stainless steel dry needles of size 0.25 into 30mm will be used, inserted perpendicularly into popliteus, adductor magnus, tibialis anterior, quad tendon, vastus lateralis, medialis, medial & lateral infrapatellar sulcus, extensor digitorum longus.
Other: Standard physical therapy

Standarized physical therapy: HOT pack for 5 min, hams & quads stretching for 30 sec & 6 reps, quads strengthening straight leg raise & leg press will be performed 15 reps & 3 sets, for hams seated leg curls & gluteal bridges will be performed 15 reps & 3 sets.

MWM in weight bearing position: The glide will be applied in weight bearing, effected knee on stepper, the therapist will be exactly sitting in front of the patient & patient will be asked to place the limb up on the stepper one hand of the therapist has to be on the lateral side of the tibia and other hand on the medial side of the femur & now the patient will be asked to climb, therapist will apply medial & lateral pressure 10 reps & 3 sets.
Active Comparator: active comparator: standard physical therapy
3 times per week for6 weeks
Other: Standard physical therapy

Standarized physical therapy: HOT pack for 5 min, hams & quads stretching for 30 sec & 6 reps, quads strengthening straight leg raise & leg press will be performed 15 reps & 3 sets, for hams seated leg curls & gluteal bridges will be performed 15 reps & 3 sets.

MWM in weight bearing position: The glide will be applied in weight bearing, effected knee on stepper, the therapist will be exactly sitting in front of the patient & patient will be asked to place the limb up on the stepper one hand of the therapist has to be on the lateral side of the tibia and other hand on the medial side of the femur & now the patient will be asked to climb, therapist will apply medial & lateral pressure 10 reps & 3 sets.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS)
Time Frame: from enrollment to the end of 6 week

Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) measures subjective pain intensity using an 11-point numeric scale (0-10) where 0 = "no pain" and 10 = "worst pain imaginable". Patients verbally or mark on a horizontal line the whole number best reflecting current pain severity, typically assessing "current pain," "worst pain," "least pain," or "average pain" over the prior 24 hours. Mild pain = 1-3, moderate pain = 4-6, severe pain = 7-10 guides clinical decision-making.

changes in NPRS scale will be measured baseline and at the end of 6 week.
from enrollment to the end of 6 week
Goniometer measures joint range of motion (ROM)
Time Frame: from enrollment to the end of 6 week

Goniometer: Precision instrument measuring joint range of motion (ROM) in degrees using protractor body with two arms (stationary and movable) aligned to anatomical bony landmarks spanning the joint axis.

Primary Use: Quantifies active (AROM) and passive (PROM) joint excursion for objective baseline, progress tracking, and impairment rating. Universal goniometer most common; digital/smartphone apps offer improved reliability (ICC >0.9 vs 0.74-0.91 traditional).

Reliability: Long-arm > short-arm (MSD 6° vs 10°); inter/intra-rater ICC 0.84-0.99 with standardized technique.

changes in knee flexion and extension ROM will be measured baseline and at the end of 6 week.
from enrollment to the end of 6 week
WOMAC (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index)
Time Frame: from enrollment to the end of 6 week

WOMAC (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index) is a validated, disease-specific patient-reported outcome measure for hip/knee osteoarthritis assessing pain (5 items, 0-20), stiffness (2 items, 0-8), and physical function (17 items, 0-68) over past 48 hours.

Scoring: Likert 0-4 scale per item (0=None, 4=Extreme); higher total scores (0-96) indicate worse symptoms. MCID: 12% improvement (~9-12 points) represents clinically meaningful change.

changes in WOMAC score will be measured baseline and at the end of 6 week.
from enrollment to the end of 6 week
EQ-5D 3L (QUALITY OF LIFE)
Time Frame: From enrollment to the end of 6 week

EQ-5D-3L is developed by EuroQol groups is standardized instrument for measurement of health-related quality of life. it administers strong test-retest reliability for knee OA which of 0.73 to 0.91.

Changes in EQ-5D 3L will be measured at baseline and at 6 weeks.
From enrollment to the end of 6 week

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Riphah International University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Shakil ur Rehman, Ph.D, Riphah International University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
January 25, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
July 25, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
February 4, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 4, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
February 11, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
February 11, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 4, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • REC/RCR & AHS/24/0197

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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