Dry Needling Dosage in the Treatment of Myofascial Neck Pain

Effects of Different Deep Dry Needling Dosages on Pain and Postneedling Soreness in the Treatment of Patients With Cervical Myofascial Pain

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT02190890

Enrollment

Registered

2014-07-15

Start date

2013-09-30

Completion date

2015-12-31

Last updated

2017-12-06

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Neck Pain

Brief summary

The purpose of this study are (1) to determine the effectiveness of different dry needling dosages in the treatment of myofascial trigger points in the upper trapezius muscle in patients with myofascial neck pain, (2) to assess postneedling soreness and tenderness and (3) evaluate the influence of psychological factors on the perception of postneedling soreness.

Interventions

PROCEDUREDry needling

PROCEDUREControl

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

DOUBLE (Subject, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to 53 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Diagnosis of an active myofascial trigger point. Neck pain: Superior to 3 cm in VAS

Exclusion criteria

* Neck area: Fracture, radiculopathy, previous surgery, previous needling treatment in the last 6 months, previous analgesic medication (24 hours), psychiatric disease

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Pain	1 week	Visual analog scale. A 100mm VAS, ranging from 0mm (no pain) to 100mm (worst imaginable pain).
Postneedling soreness	1 week	Visual analog scale. A 100mm VAS, ranging from 0mm (no pain) to 100mm (worst imaginable pain).

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Pressure pain threshold	1 week	Three consecutive trials of pressure pain threshold on the active trigger point at a rate of 1 kg/sec at intervals of 30 seconds were conducted.
Pain in cervical range of motion	1 week	Pain in a numerical pain rating scale during all cervical movements was recorded.
Neck disability	1 week	Neck Disability Index questionnarie was completed.
Cervical range of motion	1 week	The subjects sat in a chair and a CROM goniometer was placed over the head. They were asked to perform active neck movements to the fullest extent of their mobility. Each movement was recorded three times and the average value was calculated.
Psychological factors	Pre-intervention	State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-T)

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 24, 2026