Dry Needling vs Dry Needling With ES in Patients With Neck/Shoulder Pain

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

45 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2018-08-16

Study Completion Date

2019-02-01

Brief Summary

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First, we aim to determine if there is a difference in the rate of improvement, as measured by the Neck Disability Index (NDI) and Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), across a 6 week treatment period between those treated with DN only and those treated with DN and intramuscular electrical stimulation (IES) in subjects with upper trapezius active trigger points (aTrPs). Secondly, we want to determine if improvements in clinical outcomes (NDI and NPRS) of patients with upper trapezius active trigger points (aTrPs) treated with dry needling (DN) alone or dry needling with intramuscular electrical stimulation (DN/IES) are maintained 6 weeks post treatment without further intervention.

Research Questions:

1. Is there a difference in the rate of improvement in NDI and NPRS across a 6 week treatment period in subjects with upper trapezius active trigger points (aTrPs) between those treated with DN only and those treated with DN and intramuscular electrical stimulation (IES)?
2. Are improvements in clinical outcomes (NDI and NPRS) of patients with upper trapezius active trigger points (aTrPs) treated with dry needling (DN) maintained 6 weeks post treatment without further intervention? Tertiary exploration: If improvement is maintained, is there a difference in outcome maintenance between groups? Did improvement increase between 6 and 12 weeks?

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Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Myofascial Pain Neck Pain Shoulder Pain

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Experimental There will be two groups in this study, DN alone and DN/IES. Each group will have approximately 22 subjects, resulting in approximately 44 subjects total. Subjects will be randomized into one of the two groups via block randomization method based on order of entry into the study.

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Dry Needling (DN)

Subjects will receive dry needling treatment, once a week, for 6 weeks.

Outcomes will be measured at baseline (week 0), 3 weeks after initiation of study (week 3), 6 weeks after initiation of study (week 6), and 6 weeks after last treatment (week 12).

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Dry needling (DN)

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

One to three filament needles (similar to an acupuncture needle) with no medication will be inserted into the tender area of my muscle. The needles will be repositioned a few times to make the muscle twitch. After several twitches occur, the researcher will leave the needles as they are, and the subject will sit in a chair without moving my arms or head, for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes the needles are removed and discarded.

Dry Needling with Intramuscular electrical stimulation (DNES)

Subjects will receive dry needling treatment with electrical stimulation, once a week, for 6 weeks.

Outcomes will be measured at baseline (week 0), 3 weeks after initiation of study (week 3), 6 weeks after initiation of study (week 6), and 6 weeks after last treatment (week 12).

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Dry needling with intramuscular electrical stimulation (DNES)

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

One to three filament needles (similar to an acupuncture needle) with no medication will be inserted into the tender area of the muscle. The needles will be repositioned a few times to make the muscle twitch. After several twitches occur, the researcher will leave the needles as they are, and attach alligator clips to the needles to provide electrical stimulus for 10 minutes while the subject sits in a chair without moving arms or head. After 10 minutes, the electrical stimulus will be turned off and detached, and the needles removed and discarded.

Interventions

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Dry needling (DN)

One to three filament needles (similar to an acupuncture needle) with no medication will be inserted into the tender area of my muscle. The needles will be repositioned a few times to make the muscle twitch. After several twitches occur, the researcher will leave the needles as they are, and the subject will sit in a chair without moving my arms or head, for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes the needles are removed and discarded.

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Dry needling with intramuscular electrical stimulation (DNES)

One to three filament needles (similar to an acupuncture needle) with no medication will be inserted into the tender area of the muscle. The needles will be repositioned a few times to make the muscle twitch. After several twitches occur, the researcher will leave the needles as they are, and attach alligator clips to the needles to provide electrical stimulus for 10 minutes while the subject sits in a chair without moving arms or head. After 10 minutes, the electrical stimulus will be turned off and detached, and the needles removed and discarded.

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

18-59 years old have an active email account have at least one palpable active trigger point (TrP) (located in one or both upper trapezius) English speaking

Exclusion Criteria

current or previous history of cancer active infection neurologic deficit cognitive deficit pregnancy connective tissue disease and/or autoimmune disorder smoke tobacco received previous DN treatments within 6 weeks of the study, experienced unilateral or bilateral neck/shoulder pain continuously for 3 months or longer

Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

60 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes