Highlights
- •Dry needling is effective for reducing muscle stiffness in latent trigger points.
- •Muscle thickness does not show changes after dry needling in latent trigger points.
- •Dry needling increased the pressure pain threshold in latent trigger points.
Abstract
The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of dry needling (DN) in upper trapezius
latent trigger points (LTrPs) on muscle stiffness. A total of 51 recreational physically
active subjects with LTrPs in the upper trapezius volunteered to participate and were
randomly divided into a DN-group (n = 27) and a sham-DN group (n = 24). Volunteers
received 1-session of DN or placebo treatment. Muscle stiffness, measured with strain
and shear-wave elastography, pressure pain threshold (PPT), post-needling soreness,
and muscle thickness were evaluated before treatment, and at 30-min, 24-hours, and
72-hours follow-up after treatment. The DN-group showed lower values from baseline
for muscle stiffness measured with shear-wave elastrography at 24-hours (from 44.44
± 15.97 to 35.78 ± 11.65 kpa; P < .01) and at 72-hours (35.04 ± 12.61 kpa; P < .01) and with strain elastography at 72-hours (from 1.75 ± 0.50 to 1.36 ± 0.40
AU; P < .01). The DN-group showed higher values of PPT than the sham-DN group at 72-hours
(4.23 ± 0.75 vs. 5.19 ± 1.16 kg/cm2; P < .05). There was a progressive decrease in post-needling soreness compared to pain
during needling of 33.13 ± 21.31% at 30-min, 80.92 ± 10.06% at 24-hours, and a total
decrease in post-needling soreness in all participants at 72-hours. DN therapy is
effective in reducing short-term muscle stiffness and increasing the PPT in volunteers
with LTrPs in the upper trapezius after a treatment session.
Perspective
This study found that one session of DN intervention in latent trigger points of the
upper trapezius muscle reduced muscle stiffness and the pressure pain threshold for
the dry needling group compared to the sham dry needling group.
Key words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: February 23, 2021
Accepted:
February 3,
2021
Received in revised form:
January 6,
2021
Received:
October 29,
2020
Footnotes
Disclosures: This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Conflicts of Interest: All authors report no conflicts of interest.
Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT04394741.
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 by United States Association for the Study of Pain, Inc.
