Dry Needling Combined With a Therapeutic Exercise Program in Myofascial Pain Syndrome: Sonographic Evaluation of Cervical Muscles

NCT ID: NCT06809790

Last Updated: 2025-08-19

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 73 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2025-02-09
• Study Completion Date: 2025-08-15

Brief Summary

Patients between the ages of 20-65 years who present to the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation outpatient clinics of our hospital with complaints of back and neck pain and are diagnosed with myofascial pain syndrome will be referred to the physicians responsible for the study to be included in the study. Exclusion criteria will be reviewed, and patients with chronic pain for more than 3 months and an active trigger point in the unilateral upper trapezius muscle will be included in the study. Patients will be randomly divided into two groups; the first group will receive only exercise therapy (including cervical range of motion and trapezius stretching), and the second group will receive exercise and dry needling therapy (1 time per week, 3 sessions in total). Demographic data (age, gender, body mass index, occupation) of all patients included in the study will be recorded. The relationship between pain and loss of function according to the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Short Form 36 (SF-36), and Neck Disability Index (NDI) scales will be recorded. Bilateral upper trapezius, sternocleidomastoideus, and total cervical extensor muscle thickness (upper trapezius, splenius capitis, semispinalis capitis, semispinalis cervicis, and multifidus) and longus colli muscle thickness measurements will be made with the ultrasonography device in our clinic. The first group will receive only exercise therapy after the measurements. Patients in the second group will receive a total of 3 sessions of dry needling treatment to the trapezius muscle for active trigger points at 0, 1, and 2 weeks in addition to exercise therapy. After the initial examination, control VAS, SF-36, NDI, and control ultrasonographic measurements will be performed in all patients at the 3rd week and 6th week. Using data analysis methods, the effect of dry needling treatment for active trigger points in the trapezius muscle on pain and functionality as well as the thickness of the cervical muscles will be investigated.

Conditions

Myofascial Pain Syndrome - Neck; Myofascial Pain of Upper Trapezius Muscle

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Group 1: Therapeutic Exercise

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Therapeutic Exercise Program

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Participants in this group will receive a therapeutic exercise program (including cervical range of motion and trapezius stretching) during the study period.

Group 2: Therapeutic Exercise and Dry Needling

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Therapeutic Exercise Program

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Participants in this group will receive a therapeutic exercise program (including cervical range of motion and trapezius stretching) during the study period.

Dry Needling

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

Participants in this group will receive dry needling treatment for active trigger points in addition to the therapeutic exercise program. Dry needling treatment will be applied in a total of 3 sessions at 0, 1, and 2. weeks, one week apart.

Interventions

Therapeutic Exercise Program

Participants in this group will receive a therapeutic exercise program (including cervical range of motion and trapezius stretching) during the study period.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Dry Needling

Participants in this group will receive dry needling treatment for active trigger points in addition to the therapeutic exercise program. Dry needling treatment will be applied in a total of 3 sessions at 0, 1, and 2. weeks, one week apart.

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Patients aged 20-65 years with neck pain for more than 12 weeks
• Active trigger point in the unilateral upper trapezius muscle on physical examination
• Who agreed not to receive anti-inflammatory and myorelaxant treatment during the study period

Exclusion Criteria

• Patients diagnosed with rheumatologic diseases
• Patients with radiculopathy
• Patients with a history of previous surgery in the shoulder, back, and neck region
• Patients with polyneuropathy
• Patients with severe cervical spondylosis
• Patients with cerebrovascular events
• Patients with malignancies
• Those with cognitive impairment
• Those with bleeding disorders
• Patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia
• Patients with thyroidectomy
• Anti-inflammatory-analgesic or myorelaxant treatment within the last 1 month
• Patients with a history of injection into the upper trapezius muscle or cervical region within the last 3 months

• Minimum Eligible Age: 20 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 65 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Istanbul Training and Research Hospital

OTHER_GOV

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Muhammed Oğuz

Medical Doctor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Muhammed Oğuz

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Istanbul Training and Research Hospital

Locations

Istanbul Training and Research Hospital

Istanbul, Fatih, Turkey (Türkiye)

Countries

Turkey (Türkiye)

Other Identifiers

18/09/2024;2024-KAEK-30;114

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id