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Not yet recruitingNCT07661485MPR-PIRUpdated Jun 30, 2026

Comparing Two Soft Tissues Technique on Piriformis Syndrome Patients

An interventional study of Myofascial Release and Post Isometric Relaxation in Piriformis Syndrome, Musculoskeletal Abnormalities and Sciatica, sponsored by University of Faisalabad. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in Pakistan. Open to participants aged 20 Years to 50 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-06-30.

Sponsored by University of Faisalabad · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
26
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
20 Years to 50 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Piriformis Syndrome is a neuromuscular condition with symptoms of pain, numbness and tingling tracing the route of the sciatic nerve, due to the nerve impingement by the piriformis muscle. Two common manual therapy techniques used to treat musculoskeletal conditions are myofascial release and post-isometric relaxation. The intent of the research is to evaluate the effects of myofascial release (MFR) as compared to post-isometric relaxation (PIR) in improving pain and lower extremity function in piriformis syndrome (LEFS). The study population involved 32 individuals aged between 20 to 50 years who will be randomly assigned to two groups; a group that received MFR and a group that received PIR. Both groups received the baseline treatment for four weeks. The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) will be employed to gauge the amount of pain, while the LEFS was used to measure functional mobility

Read the detailed description

This is Multiple-center, randomized controlled trail. Participants age 20-50 years with diagnosed piriformis syndrome will be referred from neuro physician and orthopedic department of Madina Teaching hospital (MTH) to Physiotherapy ward, Jafar Physiotherapy Clinic and Madina Specilaists Clinic. After informed consent Participants will be randomly assign to one of two parallel groups using a random number generator. Group A (Experimental): Receive MFR 3 sessions per week for total duration 4 weeks. Group B (Active Comparator) receive the PIR 3 sessions per week for total duration 4 weeks. Outcome measures (pain via VAS, functional status via LEFS) are taken at baseline and end of treatment. Data will be analyzed using Spss version 20.

02

Conditions studied

  • Piriformis Syndrome
  • Musculoskeletal Abnormalities
  • Sciatica

Keywords

  • myofasical release
  • Post isometric relaxation
  • physiotherapy
  • Radiculopathy
  • Piriformis syndrome
03

In context

Piriformis Muscle Syndrome

58 studies on the registry are indexed under Piriformis Muscle Syndrome; 23 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 26 is below the median of 42 across 52 interventional studies indexed under Piriformis Muscle Syndrome.

Browse Piriformis Muscle Syndrome studies →

Lead sponsor

University of Faisalabad is the lead sponsor of 86 studies on the registry; 27 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
20 Years to 50 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Positive Lasegue sign
  • Positive FAIR test
  • Grade 1-3 tenderness on palpation of piriformis between sacrum and greater trochanter of femur
  • 4 or more pain intensity on the VAS scale

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Lower extremity injuries including ligament, tendon injuries, muscle strains as well as nerve injuries

    • Systemic diseases including tuberculosis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease as well as chronic inflammatory conditions
    • Congenital deformities including hip dysplasia, limb length discrepancy, scoliosis and congenital pelvic asymmetry
    • Cognitive issues including dementia, severe depression and severe psychotic disorders
    • Lumbar Radiculopathy
    • SIJ Dysfunction
    • Lower Extremity Fractures
    • Pregnancy
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(1)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Cancer (malignancy)

Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.

Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Double (Participant, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
26 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Myofascial release

    Myofascial release was then performed with the patient positioned in prone lying. The piriformis muscle was identified. Sustained pressure was applied directly to the trigger point/piriformis muscle for 10-100 seconds while the patient actively moved the affected limb repeatedly from internal to external rotation. Kneading strokes parallel to the muscle fibers were then performed for 5 minutes to promote elongation. This sequence was repeated three times.

    Other: Myofascial Release

  • Experimental
    Post Isometric Relaxation

    The patient is in supine and the hip in neutral rotation. The affected hip was passively moved into horizontal adduction until a mild stretch was felt, while the lumbar spine was stabilized. The patient performed a gentle isometric contraction into hip abduction for 7-10 seconds, followed by 2-3 seconds of relaxation. The leg was then moved into further adduction to a new barrier. This contraction-relaxation-stretch cycle was performed for 3 sets of 5 repetitions.

    Other: Post Isometric Relaxation

Interventions

  • OtherMyofascial Release

    Myofascial release is performed with the patient positioned in prone lying. The piriformis muscle was identified. Sustained pressure was applied directly to the trigger point/piriformis muscle for 10-100 seconds while the patient actively moved the affected limb repeatedly from internal to external rotation. Kneading strokes parallel to the muscle fibers were then performed for 5 minutes to promote elongation. This sequence was repeated three times.

  • OtherPost Isometric Relaxation

    Post-isometric relaxation (PIR) is performed with the patient in supine and the hip in neutral rotation. The affected hip was passively moved into horizontal adduction until a mild stretch was felt, while the lumbar spine was stabilized. The patient performed a gentle isometric contraction into hip abduction for 7-10 seconds, followed by 2-3 seconds of relaxation. The leg was then moved into further adduction to a new barrier.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Visual analogue scale

    Comparison on effect of pain. The Visual Analog Scale is a self-reported measure of pain intensity. Participants rate their pain on a 10-cm scale ranging from 0 to 10, where 0 indicates "no pain" and 10 indicates "worst imaginable pain."

    Time frame: Baseline and 4 week post intervention

Secondary outcomes

  1. Lower Extremity Functional Scale

    Comparison on effect of functional outcomes. The Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS) is a self-reported questionnaire used to assess functional status and difficulty performing everyday activities in individuals with lower extremity musculoskeletal conditions. The scale consists of 20 items, each scored from 0 to 4, yielding a total score ranging from 0 to 80.

    Time frame: Baseline and 4 week of post intervention

07

Study locations

1 site
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References and documents

Publications

  • This citation will not be hyperlinked on ClinicalTrials.gov. Aleem A, Arfan MT, Razzaq et al. (2022) Effectiveness of post isometric relaxation versus reciprocal inhibition technique on hamstring muscle flexibility. Annals of King Edward Medical University 28(2): 205-209.
  • Ajimsha MS, Al-Mudahka NR, Al-Madzhar JA. Effectiveness of myofascial release: systematic review of randomized controlled trials. J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2015 Jan;19(1):102-12. doi: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2014.06.001. Epub 2014 Jun 13. PubMed 25603749 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jun 30, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07661485
Lead sponsor
University of Faisalabad
Responsible party
Muhammad Muneeb Jafar (Assistant Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Faisalabad) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jun 22, 2026
Start date
Jun 30, 2026 (estimated)
Primary completion
Aug 30, 2026 (estimated)
Completion
Sep 30, 2026 (estimated)
Last update
Jun 30, 2026

Study contacts

Dr. Muhammad Muneeb Jafar, PhD Physiotherapy
Contact
Muneebjafar.DPT@tuf.edu.pk
+923127000616
Dr. Muhammad Ateeb, PhD Public Health
Contact
+923357333383

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Jun 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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