Percutaneous Electrolysis Versus Dry Needling in Levator Scapulae

Effectiveness of Ultrasound-guided Interventions of Percutaneous Electrolysis Versus Dry Needling in Levator Scapulae Active Myofascial Trigger Points

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT04157426

Enrollment

Registered

2019-11-08

Start date

2021-09-28

Completion date

2022-01-01

Last updated

2022-01-14

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

Conditions

Myofascial Pain, Trigger Point Pain, Myofascial

Brief summary

The objective will be to determine the effectiveness of ultrasound-guided percutaneous electrolysis versus ultrasound-guided dry needling in active myofascial trigger points of the levator scapulae muscle on pain intensity, disability and range of motion. A randomized clinical trial will be carried out. Fifty-four patients with at least one active myofascial trigger point in the levator scapulae muscle were recruited and divided into ultrasound-guided percutaneous electrolysis (n = 27) and ultrasound-guided dry needling (n=27). Pain intensity, disability and range of motion will measured before, immediately after and 1 week after intervention.

Interventions

OTHERPercutaneous electrolysis

Ultrasound-guided percutaneous electrolysis in the active myofascial trigger point of the levator scapulae muscle

OTHERDry needling

Ultrasound-guided dry needling the active myofascial trigger point of the levator scapulae muscle

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to 70 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Neck pain * At least two active myofascial trigger point in the levator scapulae muscle

Exclusion criteria

* Systemic diseases * Cognitive impairment

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Pain intensity	Change from baseline pain intensity immediately and at 1 week after intervention	Neck pain intensity scores from 0 to 100 points measured by the visual analogue scale

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Disability	Change from baseline pain intensity at 1 week after intervention	Neck disability scores measured from 0 to 50 points measured by the Neck Disability Index
Range of motion	Change from baseline pain intensity immediately and at 1 week after intervention	Neck rotation range of motion measured with an universal goniometer

Countries

Spain

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 9, 2026