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The Effect of Dry Needling on Trunk Muscle Function in Low Back Pain Patients

The Effect of Dry Needling on Trunk Muscle Function in Low Back Pain Patients

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT02250742
Enrollment
40
Registered
2014-09-26
Start date
2014-09-30
Completion date
2015-12-31
Last updated
2016-05-24

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

Conditions

Low Back Pain

Keywords

ultrasound imaging, acupuncture, back muscles, spine, muscle strength

Brief summary

The study will establish data on the function of trunk muscles in healthy and low back pain patient's pre and post dry needling treatment. This will help in understanding the underlying mechanism of this treatment and reveal the effect of dry needling on muscle performance. Study hypothesis is that an improvement of back muscle function following dry needling procedure will be found.

Detailed description

Dry needling of muscles is mainly used for the management of pain in musculoskeletal disorders. Yet, the association between dry needling and motor performance of muscles is still unclear. This study aims to investigate the immediate effect of dry needling on lumbar multifidus muscles' function in healthy and low back pain subjects. The sample will be divided into: low back pain group and control (healthy) group. Both groups will receive dry needling to the lumbar multifidus muscles using a deep insertion technique with 4 needles (2 on each side of the spine). The needles will be left in situ for 10 minutes. Ultrasound imaging will be used to measure multifidus muscles' thickness, pre and post- procedure during rest in a prone position and during contralateral active straight leg extension.

Interventions

OTHERdry needling

Dry needling uses traditional acupuncture needles without injecting any liquid. Dry needling is based on traditional Western medicine whereby the needle insertion sites are located in known anatomical landmarks such as skeletal muscles, fascia and occasionally joints, tendons and bone/tendon junctions.

Sponsors

University of Haifa
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 60 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Age: 18-60 years. * Healthy individuals or individuals with main complaint of low back pain (LBP)

Exclusion criteria

* Patients with red flags for a serious spinal condition, for example: tumor, compression fractures, infection, cancer. * Signs of nerve root compression (positive straight leg raise \<45 degrees, decreased reflexes, decrease sensation or decreased strength in the lower extremities). * Pregnancy. * Previous surgery to the lumbar spine * History of congenital lumbar or pelvic anomalies * Physical therapy for LBP was provided in the 6 months prior to participation in the study * Patients who are unable to lie prone for 30 minutes.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in Multifidus muscle thicknessbaseline and Immediately after dry needling procedure at the same sessionMultifidus muscle thickness will be measured using diagnostic ultrasound imaging

Countries

Israel

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026