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Effect of Dry Needling on Muscle Mechanical Properties and Muscle Contractility in Latent Trigger Points

Effects of Dry Needling on Stiffness in Latent Trigger Points a Randomized Controlled Trial

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04466813
Enrollment
50
Registered
2020-07-10
Start date
2020-07-20
Completion date
2020-10-20
Last updated
2020-10-23

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

Conditions

Trigger Point Pain, Myofascial

Keywords

Latent trigger point, Dry needling, Myotonometer, Tensiomyography

Brief summary

The purpose of this study is to determine whether application of Dry Needling (DN) is effective for improved Muscle Mechanical Properties and Muscle Contractility in Latent Trigger Points point (LTrP) of upper trapezius. Randomized controlled trial, in parallel with cross-control design. Two groups with LTrP in upper trapezius, and will be randomly selected to DN group or Sham-Dn group.

Interventions

Deep Dry Needling into the site of the latent Trigger Point of the upper trapezius muscle. 1 session in upper trapezius muscle moving the needle up and down ten times.

Sham Dry Needling into the site of the latent Trigger Point of the upper trapezius muscle with non-penetrating needles

Sponsors

University of Castilla-La Mancha
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 30 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Age between 18 and 30 years * The presence of LTrP in the middle third of the upper trapezius muscle on the dominant side * Being able to provide written informed consent * Being able to follow instructions and realize clinical tests

Exclusion criteria

* Any pharmacological therapeutic * Any medical treatment or physical therapies at cervical region during the 6-month before this study - Any diagnosed health problem * Any history of head and upper extremity surgery or trauma * Any red flags to DN, (ie: metabolic diseases, pregnancy, kinesiophobia, Infection, cancer) * Absence of recurrent history of neck pain * No neck pain symptomatology the previous 6 months * Cervical disk herniation

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in StiffnessBaseline, at 30 minutes after treatment, at 24 hours after treatment, at 72 hours after treatmentThis outcome measure is obtained by a device named MyotonPro. Stiffness reflects the resistance of the muscle to the force deforming the muscle.
Change in Maximal Radial Displacement (Dm)Baseline, at 30 minutes after treatment, at 24 hours after treatment, at 72 hours after treatmentThis outcome measure is obtained by a device named Tensiomiography. The variable Dm is given by the radial displacement of the muscular belly in a transverse plane, expressed in millimeters (mm) and depends on muscle tone or stiffness. A low Dm is related to a high muscle tone or an excess of stiffness, while a high Dm value indicates a lack of muscle tone or stiffness defect.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in Mechanical Stress Relaxation Time [ms]Baseline, at 30 minutes after treatment, at 24 hours after treatment, at 72 hours after treatmentThis outcome measure is obtained by a device named MyotonPro. Mechanical Stress Relaxation Time \[ms\] is the time for a muscle to recover tis shape from deformation after a voluntary contraction or a removal of an external force.
Change in Ratio of deformation and Relaxation time, characterising Creep (Deborah number)Baseline, at 30 minutes after treatment, at 24 hours after treatment, at 72 hours after treatmentThis outcome measure is obtained by a device named MyotonPro. Ratio of deformation and Relaxation time, characterising Creep (Deborah number) is the gradual elongation of a tissue over time when placed under a constant tensile stress.
Change in Contraction time (Tc)Baseline, at 30 minutes after treatment, at 24 hours after treatment, at 72 hours after treatmentThis outcome measure is obtained by a device named Tensiomiography. Contraction time (Tc) as a time between 10% and 90% of the contraction
Change in Oscillation FrequencyBaseline, at 30 minutes after treatment, at 24 hours after treatment, at 72 hours after treatmentThis outcome measure is obtained by a device named MyotonPro. The frequency of the damped oscillations characterizes the muscle tone.
Change in Sustain time (Ts)Baseline, at 30 minutes after treatment, at 24 hours after treatment, at 72 hours after treatmentThis outcome measure is obtained by a device named Tensiomiography. Sustain time (Ts) as a time between 50% of the contraction and 50% of the relaxation
Change in Relaxation time (Tr)Baseline, at 30 minutes after treatment, at 24 hours after treatment, at 72 hours after treatmentThis outcome measure is obtained by a device named Tensiomiography. Relaxation time (Tr) as a time between 90% and 50% of the relaxation
Change in Pressure Pain Perception (PPP)Baseline, at 30 minutes after treatment, at 24 hours after treatment, at 72 hours after treatmentChange in Pain Pressure Threshold (PPT) as assessed using an manual mechanical algometer. The procedure performed was the same as the prior described, but pressure was kept until 2.5 kg/cm2 and maintained for 5 seconds, whereas the subject had to characterize the level of pain using a 10-mm visual analog scale (VAS)
Change in Delay time (Td)Baseline, at 30 minutes after treatment, at 24 hours after treatment, at 72 hours after treatmentThis outcome measure is obtained by a device named Tensiomiography. Delay time (Td) as a time between the electrical impulse and 10% of the contraction
Change in Decrement (elasticity)Baseline, at 30 minutes after treatment, at 24 hours after treatment, at 72 hours after treatmentThis outcome measure is obtained by a device named MyotonPro.The logarithmic decrement of the damping oscillations characterizes muscle elasticity which is the ability of the muscle to restore its initial shape after contraction

Countries

Spain

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 14, 2026