Archives

Predictors of response to spinal manipulative therapy, dry needling and exercise in patients with cervicogenic headache

Authors:James Dunning, Ian Young, Joshua Prall, Firas Mourad, Paul Bliton, Roger Kerry, James Escaloni, Filippo Maselli, César Fernández-de-Las-Peñas Musculoskelet Sci Pract. 2026 Sep 15;86:103662. doi: 10.1016/j.msksp.2026.103662. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Spinal manipulative therapy, dry needling, and exercise have been found to reduce pain and disability in individuals with cervicogenic headache (CGH). […]

Effects on deep dry needling of the TIBIALIS posterior muscle on plantar pressure distribution: A single-blinded randomized controlled baropodometric trial

Authors:María Carmen Martínez-González, Sonia Del-Río-Medina, Sergio Montero-Navarro, Jesús Sánchez-Más, María-Isabel Rocha-Ortiz, Francisco-Javier Molina-Payá, Cristina Orts-Ruiz, Cristina Salar-Andreu, Luis-Eduardo Calderón-Santos, José-Martín Botella-Rico, Jaume Morera-Balaguer PLoS One. 2026 Sep 22;21(9):e0357010. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0357010. eCollection 2026. ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION: Myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) in the tibialis posterior muscle (TP) can create a TP dysfunction, leading to alterations in plantar pressure […]

Comparative Efficacy and Safety of Needling-Based Therapies Versus Ablative Fractional Lasers for Scar Management: A Systematic Review and an Exploratory Meta-Analysis

Authors:Kholoud Almahzoum, Waleed Alfailakawi, Abdullah M Alharran, Omar W Alrumaih, Retaj N Hazaa, Dalal Ali Al-Mutairi, Abdulrahman Talal Alqallaf, Bader N Almutawaa, Merwi S Alhadeyah, Abdulaziz Abdullah Alenezi, Fanr F Alraqum, Ebraheem Albazee Photodermatol Photoimmunol Photomed. 2026 Sep;42(5):e70121. doi: 10.1111/phpp.70121. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Needling-based therapies and ablative fractional lasers are widely used for scar management, but […]

Ultrasound-Guided Pharmacopuncture Targeting the Myotendinous Junction for Refractory Common Extensor Tendinopathy: A Case Series

Authors:Taeseok Ahn, Jihyun Moon, Myungjin Oh, Junyoung Oh, Jung-Yun Ahn, Daeook Lee, Jongha Lee, Changyoung Park, Dong-Woo Lim Diagnostics (Basel). 2026 Aug 28;16(17):2755. doi: 10.3390/diagnostics16172755. ABSTRACT Background: Lateral epicondylalgia (LE) is a prevalent musculoskeletal condition, and a substantial proportion of patients fail to respond to conservative treatment. The myotendinous junction (MTJ) of the common extensor […]

Resolution of Refractory Headache Symptoms Following Cervical Spinal Manipulation and Electrical Dry Needling in an Adolescent Female: A Case Report

Authors:Ian Young, April Martino, James Dunning, Joshua Prall, James Escaloni, Firas Mourad Sage Open Pediatr. 2026 Sep 9;13:30502225261490267. doi: 10.1177/30502225261490267. eCollection 2026 Jan-Dec. ABSTRACT Cervicogenic headache (CGH) in adolescents is poorly understood. The overlap in signs and symptoms between CGH, tension-type headaches and migraine headaches complicate the differential diagnosis. Furthermore, poor outcomes for CGH with […]

Adjunctive dry needling reduces spasticity and improves functional outcomes in children with cerebral palsy: a single-blind randomized controlled trial

Authors:Nouf H Alkhamees, Osama R Abdelraouf, Mohamed A Abdel Ghafar, Zizi M Ibrahim, Eman M Harraz, Mohamed K Seyam, Walaa E Morsy, Mohamed M Ahmed Front Pediatr. 2026 Aug 27;14:1865049. doi: 10.3389/fped.2026.1865049. eCollection 2026. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Spastic cerebral palsy is the most prevalent motor disability in childhood, and the alleviation of spasticity has been a […]

Scar dry needling for tissue compliance in individuals with linear scars: a randomized controlled trial

Authors:Mohammadreza Pourahmadi, Jan Dommerholt, Maryam Ahmadi, Robert Schleip, Afarin Farrohi J Man Manip Ther. 2026 Sep 10:1-12. doi: 10.1080/10669817.2026.2730521. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Evidence for dry needling (DN) in scar management remains limited. OBJECTIVE: To compare scar-DN with minimal needling for tissue compliance, local scar-related pain, passive knee flexion, and health-related quality of […]

Physical therapists’ modalities and decision-making in the treatment of myofascial trigger points: an exploratory cross-sectional survey in the United States

Authors:Richard Clark, Dena Fawzi, Owen Johnson, Olivia Perry, Haley Steinhafel, Makenna Vandygriffe J Man Manip Ther. 2026 Sep 8:1-9. doi: 10.1080/10669817.2026.2729532. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT OBJECTIVES: To identify the modalities most commonly used by outpatient physical therapists in the United States for the treatment of myofascial trigger points (MTrPs), determine how frequently those modalities […]

Neuroimmune Phenotyping as the Next Frontier in Chronic Pain Medicine for Musculoskeletal Back Pain

Authors:Samer G Salman, Rohan A Phadke, Adithya Nair, Rahul Kumar, Arbaz Momin, Alireza Tavakkoli, James Rizkalla Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2026 Sep 5;30(1):119. doi: 10.1007/s11916-026-01561-w. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Chronic low back pain encompasses heterogeneous mechanical, neuropathic, nociplastic, and myofascial presentations that may reflect distinct neuroimmune mechanisms. We synthesized evidence linking these phenotypes to measurable biological features […]

Electroacupuncture promotes the repair of lacrimal glands damage in dry-eye animal models by modulating the BDNF/CREB signaling pathway

Authors:Liujiao Li, Li Shi, Huxing Shen, Xue Liu, Dan Luo, Huijie Ji, Weiping Gao, Jiaojiao Wang J Tradit Complement Med. 2025 Aug 27;16(5):480-491. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcme.2025.08.002. eCollection 2026 Sep. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND AND AIM: Dry eye disease (DED) is an eye disorder with global prevalence. Its treatment using electroacupuncture (EA) has shown exceptional clinical efficacy. This study […]

Investigation of the efficacy of dry needling added to physical therapy in supraspinatus tendinopathy

Authors:Ayşe Güliz Kırıköz, Cevriye Mülkoğlu Turk J Phys Med Rehabil. 2026 Sep 4. doi: 10.4274/tftrd.2026.16776. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT OBJECTIVES: In this study, we aimed to investigate the effectiveness of dry needling (DN) in addition to conventional physical therapy and rehabilitation (PTR) program in patients with supraspinatus tendinopathy presenting with shoulder pain. PATIENTS AND […]

Calcific Patellar Tendinopathy. A Case Report Integrating Diagnostic Ultrasound Throughout a Multi-Modal Treatment Approach

Authors:Ian Young, Adam Salzman, James Dunning, Joshua Prall, Sam Fischer, Brittany Forbes, James Escaloni Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2026 Sep 2;21(9):879-889. doi: 10.26603/001c.167449. eCollection 2026. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Calcific tendinopathy can be difficult to diagnose and manage from a traditional, non-invasive physical therapy perspective. However, there is preliminary evidence supporting the use of diagnostic ultrasound […]

Pathological similarities between degenerative enthesopathy and rheumatic enthesitis: the role of ECM stiffness and Wolff’s Law-based mechanical stimulation as a therapeutic strategy

Authors:Kang Ahn, Aerisa Ahn, Seung Jun Oh, Hyun Sung Kim Front Rehabil Sci. 2026 Aug 20;7:1716050. doi: 10.3389/fresc.2026.1716050. eCollection 2026. ABSTRACT Degenerative enthesopathy and rheumatic enthesitis have traditionally been regarded as distinct disorders driven by mechanical overload and immune dysregulation, respectively. However, increasing evidence suggests that the mechanobiological links between these conditions have been underappreciated. […]

Immediate and Short-Term Effects of Electro-Dry Needling on Thermal Temporal Summation in Healthy Adults

Authors:Max Jordon, Frank Tudini, Matthew Grubb JOSPT Open. 2026 Jul;4(3):367-373. doi: 10.2519/josptopen.2026.0204. ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the local and distal immediate and short-term effects of a single session of electro-dry needling (EDN) on thermal temporal summation (TS) in asymptomatic adults. DESIGN: This was a single-group repeated-measures intervention study. METHODS: […]

Dry Needling Versus Manual Therapy for Mechanical Neck Pain: A Target Trial Emulation Using Electronic Health Records

Authors:Wenjun Zhang, Xin Zhang, Lihua Huang, Shengdi Lu, Lei Yu Pain Res Manag. 2026;2026(1):e3221855. doi: 10.1155/prm/3221855. ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: To estimate the effect of dry needling versus manual therapy on disability in mechanical neck pain by emulating a target trial using electronic health record data from three tertiary hospitals in China. DESIGN: This target trial emulation […]

SurgFusion-Net: Diversified Adaptive Multimodal Fusion Network for Surgical Skill Assessment

Authors:Runlong He, Freweini M Tesfai, Matthew W E Boal, Nazir Sirajudeen, Dimitrios Anastasiou, Jialang Xu, Mobarak I Hoque, Philip J Edwards, John D Kelly, Ashwin Sridhar, Abdolrahim Kadkhodamohammadi, Dhivya Chandrasekaran, Matthew J Clarkson, Danail Stoyanov, Nader Francis, Evangelos B Mazomenos IEEE Trans Med Imaging. 2026 Aug 10;PP. doi: 10.1109/TMI.2026.3722251. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Robotic-assisted […]

Rapid Pain Reduction Following a Multimodal Physiotherapy Protocol in a Retrospective Case Series of Patients With Persistent Scrotal Content Pain

Authors:Christopher Mendias, Tariq M Awan Cureus. 2026 Jul 25;18(7):e113378. doi: 10.7759/cureus.113378. eCollection 2026 Jul. ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION: Scrotal content pain (SCP) is a clinically significant condition that can substantially impair quality of life. The causes of SCP are heterogeneous and may include urologic, neuropathic, musculoskeletal, vascular, inflammatory, referred, and psychosocial contributors. In some patients, dysfunction of […]

Myofascial Trigger Point-Augmented Acupuncture vs Conventional Acupuncture for Early- to Mid-Stage Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Authors:Longyao Zhang, Jiankang Xu, Lingling Jiang, Kuiliang Gao, Hongfei Xue, Yulei Li, Aifeng Liu, Chao Zhang J Pain Res. 2026 Aug 18;19:634945. doi: 10.2147/JPR.S634945. eCollection 2026. ABSTRACT PURPOSE: To determine whether adding myofascial trigger point (MTrP)-targeted dry needling to conventional acupuncture improves short-term pain and function response in adults with early- to mid-stage knee osteoarthritis […]

Electrical Dry Needling and Therapeutic Exercise Versus Therapeutic Exercise in Patients With Chronic Nonspecific Neck Pain: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Authors:Inmaculada C Lara-Palomo, Adrián Bautista-Rodríguez, Jose María Muñoz-Manzaneda, Elena Álvarez-López, Elena Barragán-Olea, Adelaida María Castro-Sánchez JMIR Res Protoc. 2026 Aug 20;15:e91491. doi: 10.2196/91491. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Chronic nonspecific neck pain (CNSNP) is one of the most prevalent musculoskeletal disorders worldwide. Its etiology is multifactorial, and it constitutes a leading cause of work absenteeism and a significant […]

Efficacy of dry needling in reducing spasticity after stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Authors:Xinyi Yuan, Ziwen Wang, Huiru Zhang, Yongqiang Li, Dianhuai Meng Complement Ther Med. 2026 Aug 15:103420. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2026.103420. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of dry needling (DN) in reducing spasticity among post-stroke patients through meta-analysis. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, Web of Science, PEDro, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and Embase were searched up […]