Daniel Pecos-Martín1, F Javier Montañez-Aguilera2, Tomás Gallego-Izquierdo1, Alicia Urraca-Gesto3, Antonia Gómez-Conesa4, Natalia Romero-Franco1, Gustavo Plaza-Manzano5. 1. Physical Therapy Department, Alcalá University, Madrid, Spain. 2. Physical Therapy Department, Center for University Studies Cardenal Herrera University, Valencia, Spain. 3. Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy Department, University Hospital Alcorcón Foundation, Madrid, Spain. 4. Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, Murcia University, Murcia, Spain. 5. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department, Medical Hydrology, Faculty of Medicine, Complutense University Madrid, Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: gusplaza@ucm.es.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of dry needling into a myofascial trigger point (MTrP) in the lower trapezius muscle of patients with mechanical idiopathic neck pain. DESIGN: A single-center, randomized, double-blinded controlled study. SETTING:Patients were recruited from the student population of a local hospital by advertisement in the university clinic from January 2010 to December 2011. PARTICIPANTS: Patients (N=72) with unilateral neck pain, neck pain for ≥3 months, and active trigger points in the lower trapezius muscle were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatment groups. All the patients completed the study. INTERVENTIONS:Dry needling in an MTrP in the lower trapezius muscle, or dry needling in the lower trapezius muscle but not at an MTrP. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The visual analog scale (VAS), Neck Pain Questionnaire (NPQ), and pressure-pain threshold (PPT) were assessed before the intervention and 1 week and 1 month postintervention. RESULTS: Treatment with dry needling of the lower trapezius muscle close to the MTrP showed decreases in pain and PPT as well as an improvement in the degree of disability (P<.001) compared with the baseline and control group measurements (P<.001). The dry-needling technique performed in the MTrP showed more significant therapeutic effects (P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: The application of dry needling into an active MTrP of the lower trapezius muscle induces significant changes in the VAS, NPQ, and PPT levels compared with the application of dry needling in other locations of the same muscle in patients with mechanical neck pain.
RCT Entities:
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of dry needling into a myofascial trigger point (MTrP) in the lower trapezius muscle of patients with mechanical idiopathic neck pain. DESIGN: A single-center, randomized, double-blinded controlled study. SETTING:Patients were recruited from the student population of a local hospital by advertisement in the university clinic from January 2010 to December 2011. PARTICIPANTS: Patients (N=72) with unilateral neck pain, neck pain for ≥3 months, and active trigger points in the lower trapezius muscle were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatment groups. All the patients completed the study. INTERVENTIONS: Dry needling in an MTrP in the lower trapezius muscle, or dry needling in the lower trapezius muscle but not at an MTrP. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The visual analog scale (VAS), Neck Pain Questionnaire (NPQ), and pressure-pain threshold (PPT) were assessed before the intervention and 1 week and 1 month postintervention. RESULTS: Treatment with dry needling of the lower trapezius muscle close to the MTrP showed decreases in pain and PPT as well as an improvement in the degree of disability (P<.001) compared with the baseline and control group measurements (P<.001). The dry-needling technique performed in the MTrP showed more significant therapeutic effects (P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: The application of dry needling into an active MTrP of the lower trapezius muscle induces significant changes in the VAS, NPQ, and PPT levels compared with the application of dry needling in other locations of the same muscle in patients with mechanical neck pain.
Authors: Ester Cerezo-Téllez; María Torres-Lacomba; Orlando Mayoral-Del-Moral; Soraya Pacheco-da-Costa; David Prieto-Merino; Beatriz Sánchez-Sánchez Journal: Health Qual Life Outcomes Date: 2018-11-06 Impact factor: 3.186
Authors: Felicity A Braithwaite; Julie L Walters; Lok Sze Katrina Li; G Lorimer Moseley; Marie T Williams; Maureen P McEvoy Journal: PeerJ Date: 2018-07-31 Impact factor: 2.984