Triceps Surae Trigger Point Size and Muscle Extensibility

Effectiveness of Dry Needling to Decrease Trigger Point Size and Increase Soft Tissue Extensibility in the Triceps Surae Muscle as Measured Via Musculoskeletal Ultrasound

The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of dry needling in improving ankle range of motion and functional outcomes. There have been an increasing number of studies on dry needling as an intervention for pain but none thus far that have studied functional outcome measures of the ankle. The study will include healthy male subjects between the ages of 18-30 years old randomized in to 3 intervention groups of: dry needling of the triceps surae, triceps surae stretching only, dry needling and stretching. The subjects who receive dry needling as an intervention will have the trigger point identified and dry needling performed while under musculoskeletal ultrasound visualization. The subjects will undergo pre and post intervention testing including Lower Quarter Y-Balance test, passive ankle dorsiflexion, closed chain half kneeling dorsiflexion, standing dorsiflexion, deep squat, multisegmental flexion as well as Marx Activity Level Scale. There will be 3 days between the initial testing/intervention and follow up. These outcomes will be the primary variables of interest. Ultrasound, Y balance testing, self stretching, and range of motion measurements are safe and pose no risk to the subject. Dry Needling has been found to be very safe and effective in the hands of physical therapists with a calculated risk of adverse events to be less than 0.04%.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Limited Dorsiflexion; Limited Ankle Range of Motion
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: Dry Needling; Procedure: Stretching

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 30
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • North Carolina
    • Durham, North Carolina, United States, 27710
      • Duke Sports Medicine

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 30 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: Male

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Male
• 18-30 Years Old
• No history of ankle surgery
• No current ankle injuries

Exclusion Criteria:

• hypothyroidism
• fibromyalgia
• connective tissue disorders
• chronic pain
• bleeding disorders including use of anti-coagulants
• vitamin D and B12 deficiencies
• active sites of cancer
• local or systemic infections
• local skin lesions, local lymphedema
• peripheral vascular disease including varicose veins
• compromised immune system
• needle phobia

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Dry Needling; Dry Needling to Triceps Surae	Procedure: Dry Needling
Experimental: Stretching; Subjects will be given a home exercise program of stretches which are commonly prescribed to improve ankle dorsiflexion.	Procedure: Stretching

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change of Ankle Dorsiflexion Range Of Motion	Ankle range of motion measures will be record before and immediately after the intervention.	Baseline and 10 Minutes
Change in Ankle Dorsiflexion Range of Motion	Ankle dorsiflexion will again be measured at three days after the intervention to determine short term effectiveness of results.	Baseline and 3 Days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Y-Balance Test for the Lower Quarter	Test of balance and functional performance of lower extremities.	Baseline and 20 Minutes
Change in Y Balance Test for the Lower Quarter	Y Balance Test for the Lower Quarter will be assessed again at 3 days after the intervention to assess short term effectiveness.	Baseline and 3 Days

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Duke University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Chad Cook, PhD, PT, Duke University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: April 1, 2014
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 1, 2015
• Study Completion (Actual): January 1, 2015

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 7, 2014
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 12, 2014
• First Posted (Estimate): March 14, 2014

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): December 15, 2017
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 13, 2017
• Last Verified: March 1, 2015

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: Pro00052299