Effects of Dry Needling of Latent Trigger Points on Viscoelastic and Muscular Contractile Properties: Preliminary Results of a Randomized Within-Participant Clinical Trial

J Clin Med. 2021 Aug 27;10(17):3848. doi: 10.3390/jcm10173848. ABSTRACT This study aimed to evaluate changes in neuromuscular function and pain perception in latent trigger points (TrPs) in the gastrocnemius muscle after a single session of dry needling. A randomized within-participant clinical trial was conducted. Fifty volunteers with latent TrPs in the gastrocnemius muscles were explored. […]

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

Musculoskelet Sci Pract. 2021 Sep 3;56:102456. doi: 10.1016/j.msksp.2021.102456. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Latent trigger point (LTrP) can cause motor dysfunction and disturb normal patterns of motor recruitment. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the effects of DN in the upper trapezius (UT) LTrP on pain and the mechanical and contractile properties of the muscle. DESIGN: A […]

Safety of Dry Needling of the Pronator Teres Muscle in Cadavers: A Potential Treatment for Pronator Syndrome

Pain Med. 2021 Sep 14:pnab274. doi: 10.1093/pm/pnab274. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Entrapment of the median nerve at the pronator teres muscle can contribute to symptoms in the forearm and wrist. The pronator teres is also involved in patterns of spasticity observed in people who had suffered a stroke. Research on treatment efficacy with […]

Are Findings From a Pragmatic Dry Needling Trial Always Applicable in the Real World?

J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2021 Sep;51(9):470-471. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2021.0202. ABSTRACT Letter to the Editor-in-Chief in response to JOSPT article “Dry needling adds no benefit to the treatment of neck pain: a sham-controlled randomized clinical trial with 1-year follow-up” by Gattie et al.J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2021;51(9):470-471. doi:10.2519/jospt.2021.0202. PMID:34465144 | DOI:10.2519/jospt.2021.0202

Analysis and comparison of pain pressure threshold and active cervical range of motion after superficial and deep dry needling techniques of the upper trapezius muscle

Acupunct Med. 2021 Sep 23:9645284211039523. doi: 10.1177/09645284211039523. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the changes in pain pressure threshold (PPT) and active cervical range of motion (ACROM) after the application of superficial dry needling (DN) or deep DN in myofascial trigger point (MTrP) 1 of the upper trapezius versus a simulated DN technique […]

Dry needling for the treatment of muscle spasticity in a patient with multiple sclerosis: a case report

Physiother Theory Pract. 2021 Sep 21:1-7. doi: 10.1080/09593985.2021.1978118. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Spasticity is a common cause of disability in multiple sclerosis (MS), which can negatively affect the patient’s walking and balance. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the immediate effect of dry needling (DN) on spasticity and mobility in a female with MS. CASE DESCRIPTION: […]

Intramuscular Injections and Dry Needling within Masticatory Muscles in Management of Myofascial Pain. Systematic Review of Clinical Trials

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Sep 10;18(18):9552. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18189552. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Myofascial pain is an important cause of disability among the whole population, and it is a common symptom of temporomandibular joint disorders (TMDs). Its management techniques vary widely; however, in recent years, there has been a growing interest especially in needling therapies […]

Autologous blood and platelet-rich plasma injection therapy for lateral elbow pain

Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2021 Sep 30;9:CD010951. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD010951.pub2. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Autologous whole blood or platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections are commonly used to treat lateral elbow pain (also known as tennis elbow or lateral epicondylitis or epicondylalgia). Based on animal models and observational studies, these injections may modulate tendon injury healing, but randomised controlled trials […]

The efficacy of intramuscular electrical stimulation in the management of patients with myofascial pain syndrome: a systematic review

Chiropr Man Therap. 2021 Sep 27;29(1):40. doi: 10.1186/s12998-021-00396-z. ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION: Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is one of the most common disorders causing chronic muscle pain. Almost one-third of patients with musculoskeletal complaints meet the MPS criteria. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of intramuscular electrical stimulation (IMES) in patients with MPS […]

Dry Needling of Tight Hamstrings in the Treatment of Chronic Low Back Pain

Iran J Public Health. 2021 Jul;50(7):1511-1512. doi: 10.18502/ijph.v50i7.6653. NO ABSTRACT PMID:34568199 | PMC:PMC8426762 | DOI:10.18502/ijph.v50i7.6653

Effects of Dry Needling in Teres Major Muscle in Elite Handball Athletes. A Randomised Controlled Trial

J Clin Med. 2021 Sep 20;10(18):4260. doi: 10.3390/jcm10184260. ABSTRACT Objective: To determine the effects of dry needling (DN) in active myofascial trigger points in the teres major muscle compared to an untreated control group in pain during throwing actions, shoulder range of motion (ROM), strength, and extensibility of the tissues in professional handball (HB) athletes. […]

Effect of dry needling on lumbar muscle stiffness in patients with low back pain: A double blind, randomized controlled trial using shear wave elastography

J Man Manip Ther. 2021 Sep 16:1-11. doi: 10.1080/10669817.2021.1977069. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Background: Dry needling treatment focuses on restoring normal muscle function in patients with musculoskeletal pain; however, little research has investigated this assertion. Shear wave elastography (SWE) allows quantification of individual muscle function by estimating both resting and contracted muscle stiffness.Objective: To […]

Critical appraisal of "The use of dry needling vs. corticosteroid injection to treat lateral epicondylitis: a prospective, randomized, controlled study"

J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2021 Sep 16:S1058-2746(21)00667-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jse.2021.08.014. Online ahead of print. NO ABSTRACT PMID:34537340 | DOI:10.1016/j.jse.2021.08.014

Effects of dry needling on gait and muscle tone in Parkinson's disease: a randomized clinical trial

Acupunct Med. 2021 Sep 19:9645284211039232. doi: 10.1177/09645284211039232. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Alterations in gait and muscular rigidity are common and disabling in persons with Parkinson’s disease (PD). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine whether a single dry needling (DN) session can promote changes in gait and muscle tone in the […]

A novel blinding protocol to test participant and therapist blinding during dry needling: a randomised controlled experiment

Physiotherapy. 2021 Aug 25:S0031-9406(21)00082-1. doi: 10.1016/j.physio.2021.08.007. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT OBJECTIVES: Dry needling is widely used in physiotherapy. Lack of blinding in clinical trials means that dry needling effects and mechanisms remain unclear, with blinding issues accepted as an unavoidable barrier to better evidence. The authors aimed to overcome this barrier by designing a […]

Author Response to "Are Findings From a Pragmatic Dry Needling Trial Always Applicable in the Real World?"

J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2021 Sep;51(9):471-472. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2021.0202-R. ABSTRACT Author response to the JOSPT Letter to the Editor-in-Chief “Are Findings From a Pragmatic Dry Needling Trial Always Applicable in the Real World?” J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2021;51(9):471-472. doi:10.2519/jospt.2021.0202-R. PMID:34465142 | DOI:10.2519/jospt.2021.0202-R

Future Challenges for Physical Therapy during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study on the Experience of Physical Therapists in Spain

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Aug 7;18(16):8368. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18168368. ABSTRACT This qualitative exploratory study addressed the perspectives of Spanish physical therapists (PTs) regarding (a) the organization of their work during the first wave of the pandemic; (b) their role within the intensive care units (ICUs); (c) management of COVID-19 survivors; (d) potential future […]

Physical therapy treatment of a pediatric patient with symptoms consistent with a spinal cord injury without radiographic abnormality: A retrospective case report

J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2021 Jul;27:455-463. doi: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2021.01.008. Epub 2021 Feb 11. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: A spinal cord injury without radiographic abnormality (SCIWORA) is a relatively uncommon event that occurs in children following cervical trauma primarily due to sports-related injuries or physical abuse. CASE DESCRIPTION: This case report describes an 11-year-old wrestler that developed signs and […]

Immediate decrease of muscle biomechanical stiffness following dry needling in asymptomatic participants

J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2021 Jul;27:605-611. doi: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2021.04.014. Epub 2021 Apr 22. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Biomechanical muscle stiffness has been linked to musculoskeletal disorders. Assessing changes in muscle stiffness following DN may help elucidate a physiologic mechanism of DN. This study characterizes the effects of dry needling (DN) to the infraspinatus, erector spinae, and gastrocnemius muscles […]

Somatosensory Pulsatile Tinnitus Syndrome (SSPT) Revisited

Int Tinnitus J. 2021 Mar 1;25(1):39-45. doi: 10.5935/0946-5448.2021009. ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION: Our initial study reported consecutive patients with constant cardiac synchronous subjective tinnitus (pulsatile tinnitus without an identifiable acoustic source (P)) all of whom could suppress their pulsations with head and neck intense muscle contractions (“somatic testing” (ST)). The term somatosensory pulsatile tinnitus syndrome (SSPT) was […]