Short-Term Effects of PENS versus Dry Needling in Subjects with Unilateral Mechanical Neck Pain and Active Myofascial Trigger Points in Levator Scapulae Muscle: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Procedures such as dry needling (DN) or percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (PENS) are commonly proposed for the treatment of myofascial trigger points (MTrP). The aim of the present study is to investigate if PENS is more effective than DN in the short term in subjects with mechanical neck pain. This was an evaluator-blinded randomized controlled trial. Subjects were recruited through announcements and randomly allocated into DN or PENS groups. Pain intensity, disability, pressure pain threshold (PPT), range of motion (ROM), and side-bending strength were measured. The analyses included mixed-model analyses of variance and pairwise comparisons with Bonferroni correction. The final sample was composed of 44 subjects (22 per group). Both groups showed improvements in pain intensity (ηp2 = 0.62; p < 0.01), disability (ηp2 = 0.74; p < 0.01), PPT (ηp2 = 0.79; p < 0.01), and strength (ηp2 = 0.37; p < 0.01). The PENS group showed greater improvements in disability (mean difference, 3.27; 95% CI, 0.27–6.27) and PPT (mean difference, 0.88–1.35; p < 0.01). Mixed results were obtained for ROM. PENS seems to produce greater improvements in PPT and disability in the short term.

Download Full-text

Effects of Dry Needling on Biomechanical Properties of the Myofascial Trigger Points Measured by Myotonometry: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics ◽

10.1016/j.jmpt.2021.06.002 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Carolina Jiménez-Sánchez ◽

Julio Gómez-Soriano ◽

Elisabeth Bravo-Esteban ◽

Orlando Mayoral-del Moral ◽

Pablo Herrero-Gállego ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Biomechanical Properties ◽

Trigger Points ◽

Dry Needling ◽

Myofascial Trigger Points ◽

Randomized Controlled

Download Full-text

Acute Effects of Dry Needling on Myofascial Trigger Points in the Triceps Surae of Ballet Dancers: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy ◽

10.26603/001c.21475 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jennifer A Janowski ◽

Deanna M L Phelan-Smith ◽

Maria N Kroat Brady ◽

Kelsey L Michels ◽

Alexandra H Timm ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Trigger Points ◽

Triceps Surae ◽

Acute Effects ◽

Dry Needling ◽

Myofascial Trigger Points ◽

Ballet Dancers ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Download Full-text

Effects of Dry Needling on Muscle Stiffness in Latent Myofascial Trigger Points: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Journal of Pain ◽

10.1016/j.jpain.2021.02.004 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jorge Sánchez-Infante ◽

Alfredo Bravo-Sánchez ◽

Fernando Jiménez ◽

Javier Abián-Vicén

Keyword(s):

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Trigger Points ◽

Muscle Stiffness ◽

Dry Needling ◽

Myofascial Trigger Points ◽

Randomized Controlled

Download Full-text

Effects of dry needling on mechanical and contractile properties of the upper trapezius with latent myofascial trigger points: A randomized controlled trial

Musculoskeletal Science and Practice ◽

10.1016/j.msksp.2021.102456 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 102456

Author(s):

J. Sánchez-Infante ◽

A. Bravo-Sánchez ◽

F. Jiménez ◽

J. Abián-Vicen

Keyword(s):

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Trigger Points ◽

Contractile Properties ◽

Dry Needling ◽

Myofascial Trigger Points ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Upper Trapezius

Download Full-text

Short-term effects of the suboccipital muscle inhibition technique and cranio-cervical flexion exercise on hamstring flexibility, cranio-vertebral angle, and range of motion of the cervical spine in subjects with neck pain: A randomized controlled trial

Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation ◽

10.3233/bmr-171016 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 31 (6) ◽

pp. 1025-1034 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Eun-Dong Jeong ◽

Chang-Yong Kim ◽

Seung-Min Kim ◽

Seok-Jun Lee ◽

Hyeong-Dong Kim

Keyword(s):

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Cervical Spine ◽

Neck Pain ◽

Range Of Motion ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Short Term ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Muscle Inhibition ◽

Hamstring Flexibility ◽

Inhibition Technique

Download Full-text

Scapular exercise combined with cognitive functional therapy is more effective at reducing chronic neck pain and kinesiophobia than scapular exercise alone: a randomized controlled trial

Clinical Rehabilitation ◽

10.1177/0269215520941910 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 34 (12) ◽

pp. 1485-1496 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Norollah Javdaneh ◽

Amir Letafatkar ◽

Sadredin Shojaedin ◽

Malihe Hadadnezhad

Keyword(s):

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Neck Pain ◽

Pain Intensity ◽

Effect Size ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Chronic Neck Pain ◽

Secondary Outcome ◽

Group Differences ◽

Functional Therapy ◽

Randomized Controlled

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of scapular exercises alone and combined with cognitive functional therapy in treating patients with chronic neck pain and scapular downward rotation impairment. Design: Single-blind randomized controlled trial. Setting: Outpatient. Subjects: A total of 72 patients (20–45 years old) with chronic neck pain were studied. Intervention: Allocation was undertaken into three groups: scapular exercise ( n = 24), scapular exercise with cognitive functional therapy ( n = 24) and control ( n = 24) groups. Each programme lasted three times a week for six weeks. Main outcomes: The primary outcome measure was pain intensity measured by the visual analogue scale scores. The secondary outcome measures included kinesiophobia and muscles activity. Results: Statistically significant differences in pain intensity were found when multidisciplinary physiotherapy group including a cognitive functional approach was compared with the scapular exercise alone group at six weeks (effect size (95% CI) = −2.56 (−3.32 to −1.80); P = 0.019). Regarding kinesiophobia, a significant between-group difference was observed at six-week (effect size (95% CI) = −2.20 (−2.92 to −1.49); P = 0.005), with the superiority of effect in multidisciplinary physiotherapy group. A significant between-group differences was observed in muscle activity. Also, there were significant between-group differences favouring experimental groups versus control. Conclusion: A group-based multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme including scapular exercise plus cognitive functional therapy was superior to group-based scapular exercise alone for improving pain intensity, kinesiophobia and muscle activation in participants with chronic neck pain.

Download Full-text