Effects of dry needling in lower extremity myofascial trigger points: systematic review

2021 ◽  
Vol 71 (11) ◽  
pp. 2596-2603
Author(s):  
Iqra Khan ◽  
Ashfaq Ahmad ◽  
Ashfaq Ahmed ◽  
Samreen Sadiq ◽  
Hafiz Muhammad Asim

Objective: This systematic review was conducted to explore the current evidences on effects of trigger point dry needling as a treatment strategy on pain and range of motion among the subjects with lower extremity myofascial trigger areas. Methods: A systematic review was performed and searched databases including Cochrane Library, PubMed, SPORTDiscus and PEDro. PRISMA guidelines were followed. Inclusion and exclusion of studies were made according to PICOS format. Ten studies were recruited for assessment based on eligibility. Cochrane Risk of Bias tool was used to assess the Randomized and Non-Randomized controlled trials and the methodological assessment was also performed using PEDro 10-point scale. Data synthesis was performed by Vote Counting Method as a descriptive tool. Results: Seven of the total ten studies deemed High score on PEDro and three were scored Fair on the scale. Each of the ten studies documented improvement in the pain over time with the dry needling strategy. None of the studies targeted the other outcomes like anxiety and sleep disturbances related with myofascial trigger points. Conclusion: On basis of the best evidences available dry needling seems to be effective in pain reduction related to lower extremity myofascial trigger points. Evidence also suggests that there is not much positive effect of myofascial trigger point dry needling on depression, anxiety, muscular strength and quality of life. Keywords: Acupuncture therapy, Dry Needling, Lower extremity, Myofascial trigger points Continuous....

Author(s):  
Hanik Badriyah Hidayat ◽  
Annisa Oktavianti

Nyeri miofasial servikal (NMS) merupakan sumber nyeri umum pada individu dengan nyeri leher kronik nonspesifik. Nyeri dapat bersifat lokal, regional dan dapat juga memiliki banyak titik pemicu nyeri (myofascial trigger points/MTrPs). NMS menyebabkan nyeri di daerah otot servikal maupun fasia di sekitarnya. Nyeri leher menurunkan kualitas hidup, menurunkan produktivitas dan menyebabkan disabilitas sehingga berpengaruh secara sosioekonomi terhadap penderita dan masyarakat.Pengobatan sindrom nyeri miofasial servikal masih belum memuaskan terkait kronisitasnya. Dry needling (DN) adalah salah satu pilihan terapi nonfarmakologi yang bisa diterapkan pada NMS. DN akan mengurangi sensitisasi perifer dan sentral dengan menghilangkan sumber nosisepsi perifer (area MTrPs), memodulasi aktifitas kornu dorsalis dan mengaktifkan jalur inhibisi nyeri sentral.Neurolog sering menangani kasus NMS dan perkembangan DN akhir-akhir ini semakin pesat sebagai manajemen nyeri. Namun, keefektifan terapi DN masih belum jelas. Oleh karena itu, pengetahuan tentang peran DN pada NMS ini penting untuk diketahui oleh para neurolog. Artikel kami akan membahas tentang peran DN pada sindrom nyeri miofasial servikal.Kata kunci: Dry needling, nyeri miofasial servikal, terapi, myofascial trigger point


2019 ◽  
Vol 02 (02) ◽  
pp. 063-063
Author(s):  
Velasco Fernández P. ◽  
Valera Garrido F.

Abstract Aims To evaluate the anatomic variability of the gastrocnemius venous system using ultrasound and the overlap of the same with myofascial trigger points (MTrPs 1 and 2) clinically located in this muscle. Material and Methods In total, 82 legs of 41 healthy adults were studied, belonging to 26 men and 15 women aged between 22 and 50 years. The blood vessels located below MTrP1 and MTrP2, described by Travell and Simons were observed, and each image was analyzed by sectors (medial, central and lateral) to quantify the number of blood vessels, their distribution and overlap with the MTrPs described at this level. Results Examination of the 164 heads of 82 gastrocnemius muscles revealed that at least one vessel exists for each section analyzed. The number of veins per head varied between 1 and 8. The most common pattern in the medial gastrocnemius was three vessels (41.5%) and two vessels (49%) in the lateral gastrocnemius. In 100% of the cases the localization of the veins coincided with the clinical localization of the MTrPs. Conclusions The venous pattern of the proximal gastrocnemius is highly variable among subjects regarding the number of blood vessels and their distribution. There is a complete overlap between the clinical localization of the gastrocnemius MTrPs and the presence of blood vessels.


2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 171-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
E Segura-Ortí ◽  
S Prades-Vergara ◽  
L Manzaneda-Piña ◽  
R Valero-Martínez ◽  
JA Polo-Traverso

Background Treatment of active myofascial trigger points includes both invasive and non-invasive techniques. Objectives To compare the effects of upper trapezius trigger point dry needling (DN) and strain–counterstrain (SCS) techniques versus sham SCS. Study Design Randomised controlled trial. Method 34 study subjects with active trigger points were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups, and received either three sessions of DN (n=12), six sessions of SCS (n=10), or sham SCS (n=12) over a 3-week period. Subjective pain response and subjects’ own ratings of perceived disability were measured. Results The analysis of variance mixed model showed a significant time effect for pain (p<0.001), elicited pain (p<0.001), pain pressure threshold (p<0.01), and neck disability index (p=0.016). Pain at rest decreased in all groups, as follows: DN 18.5 mm (95% CI 4.3 to 32.7 mm); SCS 28.3 mm (95% CI 12.4 to 44.1 mm); sham SCS 21.9 mm (95% CI 3.5 to 40.1 mm). Reductions in disability score (points) were significant in the SCS group (5.5, 95% CI 1.6 to 9.4) but not in the DN (1.4, 95% CI −4.9 to 2.1) or sham SCS (1.8, 95% CI −6.4 to 2.7) groups. There was no significant group×time interaction effect for any variables studied. Conclusions There were no differences between the sham SCS, SCS, and DN groups in any of the outcome measures. DN relieved pain after fewer sessions than SCS and sham SCS, and thus may be a more efficient technique. Future studies should include a larger sample size. Trial Registration Number NCT01290653.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Orlando Mayoral ◽  
Isabel Salvat ◽  
María Teresa Martín ◽  
Stella Martín ◽  
Jesús Santiago ◽  
...  

The aim of this study was to determine whether the dry needling of myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) is superior to placebo in the prevention of pain after total knee arthroplasty. Forty subjects were randomised to a true dry needling group (T) or to a sham group (S). All were examined for MTrPs by an experienced physical therapist 4–5 hours before surgery. Immediately following anesthesiology and before surgery started, subjects in the T group were dry needled in all previously diagnosed MTrPs, while the S group received no treatment in their MTrPs. Subjects were blinded to group allocation as well as the examiner in presurgical and follow-up examinations performed 1, 3, and 6 months after arthroplasty. Subjects in the T group had less pain after intervention, with statistically significant differences in the variation rate of the visual analogue scale (VAS) measurements 1 month after intervention and in the need for immediate postsurgery analgesics. Differences were not significant at 3- and 6-month follow-up examinations. In conclusion, a single dry needling treatment of MTrP under anaesthesia reduced pain in the first month after knee arthroplasty, when pain was the most severe. Results show a superiority of dry needling versus placebo. An interesting novel placebo methodology for dry needling, with a real blinding procedure, is presented.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 4035-4039
Author(s):  
Day, James ◽  
◽  
Kasuske Kyla ◽  

Background: Hamstring injuries are a common problem for athletes, and hamstring tightness has been found to be a contributing factor to these injuries. Dry needling is a growing trend that poses the possibility of increasing flexibility through several mechanisms; however, there is currently no review on all of the studies done concerning the effectiveness of dry needling for improving hamstring flexibility. Purpose: The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the effectiveness of dry needling on hamstring flexibility in people with hamstring tightness. Methods: Search terms included dry needling or intramuscular stimulation, flexibility or range of motion or ROM, and hamstring. The databases searched were PubMed, MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL.) Results: Ten articles were found from the initial search, and three remained after the removal of duplicates and screening the articles for abstracts and full text. Patients consisted of relatively young individuals with hamstring tightness. All studies used a stretching group for the comparison while interventions consisted of dry needling alone or dry needling with a stretching program. No studies showed a significant difference between dry needling and the control; however, all studies found that flexibility increased from baseline measurements following a dry needling treatment. Discussion: The results indicate that while dry needling may not be a better option than stretching, it could be used as a means for improving hamstring flexibility. Possible factors for the effectiveness of dry needling include increased blood flow and oxygen saturation to the muscle as well as the release of myofascial trigger points. Conclusion: Dry needling was not found to be significantly better than stretching, but poses a possibility as another method for improving hamstring flexibility. KEY WORDS: Hamstrings, Athletes, Flexibility, Tightness, Dry Needling, Stretching.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine Cruz ◽  
Davi Rodrigues Martins ◽  
Richarlison Amaral ◽  
Rodrigo Manhães ◽  
Mairkon Almeida Soares

Dry Needling (DN) is a technique indicated to treat injuries of muscle origin and widely used in the deactivation of myofascial trigger points (PGMs). Its application almost always produces immediate effect, decreasing pain and increasing range of motion. The main objective of the present study was to verify the effectiveness of Dry Needling in the deactivation of myofascial trigger points. A search was carried out through three distinct databases and 10 articles dating from the last ten years were selected, with a score greater than or equal to six, in the classification of the PEDro platform (Physiotherapy Evidence Database). All selected articles were classified as randomized controlled trials, where eight are blind randomized clinical trials and two double blind randomized clinical trials. Outcomes ranged from decreased trigger points, increased range of motion, pain intensity and pain pressure threshold. The studies included in this review suggest that Dry Needling has a fundamental role in the treatment of PGMs, mainly increasing the pressure pain threshold, thus suggesting trigger point deactivation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 101 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Sánchez-Infante ◽  
Marcos J Navarro-Santana ◽  
Alfredo Bravo-Sánchez ◽  
Fernando Jiménez-Diaz ◽  
Javier Abián-Vicén

Abstract Objective The main objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine the short-, medium-, and long-term effectiveness of dry needling (DN) applied by physical therapists to myofascial trigger points for the treatment of pain. Methods PubMed, Scopus, SportDiscus, and Web of Science databases were searched from their inception to February 2020. Randomized controlled trials that compared DN with other treatments or placebo and measured pain with a visual analog Scale or another numerical pain rating scale were included. Two authors used a personalized form to collect the following data relevant to the objectives of the review from each article independently: study design, purpose, sample size, diagnosis, characteristics of DN intervention, characteristics of placebo intervention, outcome measures, period of assessment, body region, DN technique, and number of sessions. The initial search identified 1771 articles. After the selection, 102 articles were assessed for eligibility; 42 of these articles measuring pain were used for the meta-analysis. Four meta-analyses were performed according to the follow-up period from the last reported treatment. Results This meta-analysis found a large effect to decrease pain within 72 hours (standardized mean difference [SMD] = −0.81; 95% CI = −1.21 to −0.40), a moderate effect in 1 to 3 weeks (SMD = −0.69; 95% CI = −1.02 to −0.35), a large effect in 4 to 12 weeks (SMD = −0.85; 95% CI = −1.30 to −0.40), and a large effect in 13 to 24 weeks (SMD = −0.81; 95% CI = −1.64 to −0.03). The risk of bias was generally low; however, the heterogeneity of the results downgraded the level of evidence. Conclusions Low-quality evidence that the immediate to 72-hour (large) effect, 4- to 12-week (large) effect, 13- to 24-week (large) effect, and moderate-quality 1- to 3-week (moderate) effect suggested that DN performed by physical therapists was more effective than no treatment, sham DN, and other therapies for reducing pain. Impact DN is commonly used by physical therapists to treat musculoskeletal pain, and it is very important for physical therapists to know the clinical conditions and time periods for which DN is effective in reducing pain in their patients.


2020 ◽  
Vol 03 (01) ◽  
pp. 035-037
Author(s):  
María Pilar López Royo ◽  
Carolina Jiménez Sánchez

AbstractA myofascial trigger point (MTrP) is a hyperirritable area of a skeletal muscle, of nodular appearance on palpation and located in a taut band. One of the techniques for the treatment of MTrP is dry needling (DN). The aim of the present work was to determine whether treatment with DN is effective in terms of pain relief and improvement of muscle weakness. For this purpose, differences in the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and the Brzycki Test were observed before and after treatment of an active MTrP of the rectus femoris. In total, 5 patients received the treatment, of which 80% showed an improvement in pain and an increase in submaximal strength. Although it is not possible to establish a causal relationship, the results appear consistent with our hypothesis that DN is able to generally improve the symptoms of pain and weakness that appeared in patients.


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