The role of acupuncture for myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) in interventional pain management

J Complement Integr Med. 2022 Feb 17. doi: 10.1515/jcim-2021-0525. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT OBJECTIVES: The aim of this literature review is to describe the role of acupuncture for myofascial pain syndrome in interventional pain management. CONTENT: Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) can be found at all ages. Approximately 30.0-93.0% of patients with musculoskeletal pain have […]

A Multisegmental Approach to Dry Needling Plantar Fasciitis: A Case Study

J Sport Rehabil. 2022 Feb 4:1-5. doi: 10.1123/jsr.2021-0385. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT CONTEXT: Plantar heel pain is a common problem affecting foot function, causing pain in the foot under the heel. Plantar fasciitis is commonly treated with conservative treatment, such as joint and soft tissue mobilization, self-stretching home programs, foot orthoses, and night splinting […]

Dry needling increases antioxidant activity and grip force in a rat model of muscle pain

Acupunct Med. 2021 Dec 11:9645284211056941. doi: 10.1177/09645284211056941. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Muscle pain syndromes (MPS) are one of the main causes of functional, structural and metabolic problems, being associated with tissue oxidative damage. Although dry needling is widely used in the treatment of MPS, there is little scientific evidence of its efficacy and […]

Ultrasonographic Validation for Needle Placement in the Tibialis Posterior Muscle

Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2021 Dec 2;16(6):1541-1547. doi: 10.26603/001c.29854. eCollection 2021. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: The tibialis posterior (TP) muscle plays an important role in normal foot function. Safe, efficacious therapeutic approaches addressing this muscle are necessary; however, the location of the muscle in the deep posterior compartment can create challenges. PURPOSE: The purpose of this […]

Functional intermuscular reduction in spasticity for people with multiple sclerosis

Mult Scler J Exp Transl Clin. 2022 Jan 5;8(1):20552173211061547. doi: 10.1177/20552173211061547. eCollection 2022 Jan-Mar. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Eighty-five percent of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) incur gait impairments debilitating enough to significantly impact their function. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine if a novel combination of intermuscular electrical stimulation, followed by functional electrical […]

Effects of focused ultrasound and dry needling on tendon mechanical properties

J Biomech. 2021 Dec 22;132:110934. doi: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2021.110934. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Tendon injuries are extremely common, resulting in mechanically weaker tendons that could lead to tendon rupture. Dry needling (DN) is widely used to manage pain and function after injury. However, DN is invasive and high inter-practitioner variability has led to mixed success rates. […]

The Effect of Dry Needling on Pain, Range of Motion of Ankle Joint, and Ultrasonographic Changes of Plantar Fascia in Patients With Plantar Fasciitis

J Sport Rehabil. 2021 Dec 15:1-6. doi: 10.1123/jsr.2021-0156. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT CONTEXT: Plantar fasciitis (PF) is a common and devastating disease. Despite different treatments, there is no clear evidence for the effect of these treatments on PF. One of the therapy methods used in physiotherapy is dry needling (DN). So the purpose of […]

Dorsal dry needling to the pronator quadratus muscle is a safe and valid technique: A cadaveric study

Physiother Theory Pract. 2022 Jan 29:1-5. doi: 10.1080/09593985.2022.2031365. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: The pronator quadratus (PQ) muscle is an important stabilizer of the distal radio-ulnar joint and its pain referral pattern can mimic median or ulnar neuropathy. Research on treatment safety and efficacy with dry needling is scarce. OBJECTIVE: To determine if a […]

A Case-Series of Dry Needling as an Immediate Sensory Integration Intervention

J Man Manip Ther. 2021 Dec 13:1-7. doi: 10.1080/10669817.2021.2011556. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Chronic low back pain (CLBP) has been associated with altered cortical mapping in the primary somatosensory cortex. Various sensory discrimination treatments have been explored to positively influence CLBP by targeting cortical maps. OBJECTIVES: To determine if dry needling (DN) applied […]

The importance of the local twitch response during needling interventions in spinal pain associated with myofascial trigger points: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Acupunct Med. 2021 Dec 13:9645284211056346. doi: 10.1177/09645284211056346. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical effects of needling interventions eliciting local twitch responses (LTRs) versus needling without eliciting LTRs when applied to muscle trigger points (TrPs) associated with spinal pain of musculoskeletal origin. DATABASES AND DATA TREATMENT: Electronic databases were searched for randomized […]

The effects of dry needling on the thumb: A case report

Hong Kong J Occup Ther. 2021 Dec;34(2):132-136. doi: 10.1177/15691861211043687. Epub 2021 Dec 20. ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION: Dry needling has been identified as a potential intervention for a variety of diagnoses. Limited evidence exists to support the use of dry needling following surgical intervention of a distal radius fracture. This case report demonstrates the impact of dry […]

Ultrasound guided dry needling: Relevance in chronic pain

J Postgrad Med. 2022 Jan-Mar;68(1):1-9. doi: 10.4103/jpgm.jpgm_710_21. NO ABSTRACT PMID:35073681 | DOI:10.4103/jpgm.jpgm_710_21

Effects of dry needling and stretching exercise versus stretching exercise only on pain intensity, function, and sonographic characteristics of plantar fascia in the subjects with plantar fasciitis: a parallel single-blinded randomized controlled trial

Physiother Theory Pract. 2022 Jan 31:1-14. doi: 10.1080/09593985.2021.2023930. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT OBJECTIVES: Plantar fasciitis is a common problem in the foot region which has negative considerable impact on foot function. METHODS: In this parallel blinded randomized controlled trial, a total of thirty-seven subjects with plantar fasciitis (forty feet) were enrolled randomly to either […]

Electrical Dry Needling Plus Corticosteroid Injection for Osteoarthritis of the Knee: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2022 Jan 25:S0003-9993(22)00158-7. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2021.12.026. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of electrical dry needling (DN) plus corticosteroid injection (CSI) on pain, physical function, and global change in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee (KOA). DESIGN: A prospective, single-blinded, randomized clinical trial. SETTING: Pain treatment clinic. PARTICIPANTS: […]

Trigger point injections and dry needling can be effective in treating long COVID syndrome-related myalgia: a case report

J Med Case Rep. 2022 Jan 17;16(1):31. doi: 10.1186/s13256-021-03239-w. ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION: Myofascial pain is a complex health condition that affects the majority of the general population. Myalgia has been recognized as a symptom of long COVID syndrome. The treatment for long COVID syndrome-related myalgia lacks research. Dry needling is a technique that involves the insertion […]

Autologous Blood Injection With Dry-Needling vs Dry-Needling Alone Treatment for Chronic Plantar Fasciitis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Foot Ankle Int. 2022 Jan 24:10711007211061365. doi: 10.1177/10711007211061365. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Autologous blood injection (ABI) for patients with chronic plantar fasciitis has been promoted as an approach to improve outcomes over standard dry-needling approaches. The purpose of this trial was to investigate if there are improved outcomes following an ultrasonography-guided ABI compared […]

Effects of previous experience with dry needling therapy on blinding effectiveness and pain outcomes in people with neck pain: A preliminary sham-controlled study

Musculoskelet Sci Pract. 2022 Jan 21;58:102515. doi: 10.1016/j.msksp.2022.102515. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Participants’ previous experience with an intervention may be an important variable when conducting sham-controlled trials. OBJECTIVE: This study explored if previous experience with dry needling (DN) influenced blinding effectiveness and pain outcomes, after the application of DN in patients with neck […]

Cost-Effectiveness of Upper Extremity Dry Needling in Chronic Stroke

Healthcare (Basel). 2022 Jan 14;10(1):160. doi: 10.3390/healthcare10010160. ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION: Dry needling is a non-pharmacological approach that has proven to be effective in different neurological conditions. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a single dry needling session in patients with chronic stroke. METHODS: A cost-effectiveness analysis was performed based on […]

Dry Needling and Antithrombotic Drugs

Pain Res Manag. 2022 Jan 7;2022:1363477. doi: 10.1155/2022/1363477. eCollection 2022. ABSTRACT Many clinicians increasingly use dry needling in clinical practice. However, whether patients’ intake of antithrombotic drugs should be considered as a contraindication for dry needling has not been investigated to date. As far as we know, there are no publications in analyzing the intake […]

Effects of dry needling on function, hypertonia and quality of life in chronic stroke: a randomized clinical trial

Acupunct Med. 2021 Dec 13:9645284211056347. doi: 10.1177/09645284211056347. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Persons with stroke commonly have impairments associated with a reduction in functionality. Motor impairments are the most prevalent, causing an impact on activities of daily life. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a session of dry […]