Comparing The Effect of Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) When Coupled With Dry Needling (DN), Acupuncture (AN) or Sham Needling (SN) on Knee Range of Motion (ROM), Jump Height and Unipedal Balance

May 29, 2026 updated by: Mohamad Karam

Comparing the Effect of Dry Needle, Acupuncture and Sham Needling When Added to Muscle Release Technique on Knee Range of Motion, Unipedal Balance and Jump Height in Active Men: A Randomized Control Single Blinded Study

Muscle tightness was found to increase injury risks. Muscle relaese techniques and needling were known to reduce muscle tightness, their specific influence on functional muscle performance remains inconclusive. We hypothesized that (1) combining needling modalities with muscle release techniques (PNF) would significantly improve range of motion, unipedal balance, and jump height compared to a sham intervention; and (2) the specific combination of dry needling and PNF would demonstrate superior functional progression compared to the acupuncture and PNF protocol over a 5-week timeframe.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

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.

Detailed Description

Active men with confirmed hamstring and quadriceps tightness in both legs were included. Unipedal balance and jump height were evaluated using Kinetisense®. Subjects were randomly assigned to 3 groups: Group1: Dry needling; Group2: Acupuncture and Group3: Sham needling. All subjects also received PNF application after needling modality. Each participant received 1 session per week for 5 weeks.

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 (Actual)

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.
65

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 Locations

  • Lebanon
    • Beirut
      • Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
        • Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Physiotherapy, Saint Joseph University of Beirut

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:

  • moderately active men (Perform at least 60 min of any sport activity on at least 3 days per week)
  • aged between 18 and 28 years old
  • having muscular tightness in both hamstrings and quadriceps muscles in both lower limbs

Exclusion Criteria:

  • men who received any surgical, dry needling or acupuncture treatment in the last 6 months prior to the experimentation.
  • Participants who had suffered from any injuries at the level of the hips, knees or ankles in the 12 months before the study.
  • participants under anticoagulant medications or suffering from bleeding disorders.

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: None (Open Label)

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: Dry needling
Its a needling technique that is inserted in the muscle in order to reduce muscle tightness
Other: Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation with Dry Needling
In addition to Dry needling, subjects also recieved Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation
Experimental: Acupuncture
It is a needling technique based on Chinese medicine
Other: Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation with Acupuncture
In addition to Acupuncture needling, subjects also received Proprioceptive Neuromuscular facilitation.
Experimental: Sham needling
It is a placebo needling technique
Other: Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation with Sham needling
In addition to Sham needling, subjects also received Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation
Experimental: Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation
Its a physiotherapy technique that aims to reduce muscle tightness
Other: Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation with Dry Needling
In addition to Dry needling, subjects also recieved Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation
Other: Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation with Acupuncture
In addition to Acupuncture needling, subjects also received Proprioceptive Neuromuscular facilitation.
Other: Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation with Sham needling
In addition to Sham needling, subjects also received Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation
Other: Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation
All subjects recieved Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation in addition to the 3 needling types

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
Range of motion
Time Frame: 1 week before protocol application and 5 weeks after
Knee range of motion was evaluated using a Goniometer
1 week before protocol application and 5 weeks after

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Jump height
Time Frame: 1 week prior to the protocol application and 5 weeks after
was evaluated using Kinetisence
1 week prior to the protocol application and 5 weeks after
Unipedal balance
Time Frame: 1 week prior to the protocol and 5 weeks after
Was evaluated using Kinetisense
1 week prior to the protocol and 5 weeks after

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.
Mohamad Karam

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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 (Actual)

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 16, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

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.
February 20, 2023

Study Completion (Actual)

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.
February 27, 2023

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).
May 17, 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.
May 25, 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.
May 29, 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.
June 2, 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.
May 29, 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.
May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

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.
  • USJ-2023-10

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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Conditions

Rare Diseases

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Dietary Supplements

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