Muscle Tightness
Conditions
Brief summary
The goal of this study is to investigate the effect of intramuscular dry needling (IMDN) on muscle stiffness and pain. Research has suggested that IMDN can reduce muscle stiffness in needled areas. As well, IMDN may reduce mechanical pain sensitivity experienced by individuals. IMDN will be performed at several anatomical locations. Muscle stiffness will be measured with a handheld probe, which measures contact force and displacement of soft tissue. Pressure-pain thresholds (PPT) will be discovered at each region of interest. Stiffness and pressure-pain thresholds will be collected before and after IMDN. The data collected from this research is important to understand the mechanism of IMDN and its relationship to pain.
Interventions
PROCEDUREIntramuscular Dry Needling
The insertion of thin monofilament needles (without injectate) into a tight band of muscle. The needles will be inserted into the muscle for \ 10 seconds.
Sponsors
University of British Columbia
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
Repeated measures design with pre-post measures
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* over the age of 18 * pain-free in your lower back and lower legs
Exclusion criteria
* unable to communicate in English * surgery of any kind in the lumbar spine or lower legs. * participants with a skin condition that does not allow for hypoallergenic tape to be attached to their skin. * have a BMI\>25 * unable to hold your breath for 20 seconds * contraindications to dry needling, i.e. pregnancy; fever or infection that is in your bloodstream; unstable compromised immune system; unstable bleeding disorders; presence at the site of DN of infection, an open wound , a burn, cellulitis, or an undiagnosed lump; post- mastectomy/lymph node removal in the affected limb; post-major surgery (3-6 month time period); presence of metal or plastic implant; absent sensation in area of planned DN; post-bacterial endocarditis or heart valve conditions/replacement without medical clearance for DN from medical doctor.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Effective stiffness of soft tissue | Within 10 minutes of intervention | Force-displacement data is collected while deforming the soft tissue at the skin surface with a non-invasive handheld probe. The effective stiffness is a summary of the deformation behavior of the soft tissue. It is estimated using the force-displacement data as an input to the incompressible isotropic hyperelastic Ogden model. A higher value indicates that the soft tissue is stiffer than a lower value. |
| Pressure-pain threshold | Within 10 minutes of intervention | The measured pressure at the moment the perception of pressure turns into pain |
Outcome results
None listed