Immediate Effect of Dry Needling on Trigger Points

Immediate Effect of Dry Needling on the Viscoelastic Properties of a Trigger Point on the Infraspinatus Muscle Measured With the MyotonPro

The immediate effects (0-30 minutes) of a dry needling intervention on a trigger point on their viscoelastic properties (tone, elasticity and stiffness)

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Shoulder Pain
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: Dry needling

Detailed Description

Objectives: To investigate the immediate effects of a dry needling puncture on the viscoelastic properties (tone, stiffness and elasticity) of a trigger point (TP) located in the infraspinatus muscle in participants with non-traumatic chronic shoulder pain.

Methods: Forty-eight individuals who presented non-traumatic chronic shoulder pain were recruited. The presence of a TP in the infraspinatus muscle of the painful side was confirmed by an experienced physiotherapist with a palpatory exam according to Travell and Simons criteria. The TP was marked and the viscoelastic properties including tone, stiffness and elasticity were measured with the MyotonPro device by an evaluator. After the first set of measurements (T1), an experienced physiotherapist applied a dry needling puncture to the TP with a pistoning technique to obtain a local twitch response (LTR) with an Optimed 40 x 0.30 mm single use acupuncture needle. The same set of measurements was repeated immediately after the dry needling (T2) and 30 minutes later (T3). Repeated measures ANOVA and post-hoc tests were used to assess changes in viscoelastic properties over time with a significant level set at 0.05.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 48
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • Quebec
    • Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, J1H5N4
      • CRCHUS-Physius Lab

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 14 years to 61 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. present with chronic shoulder pain of non-traumatic origin (rated at least 2/10 on a numeric rating scale (NRS) for more than 3 months. The pain had to be located in the shoulder area or referred in the area of the infraspinatus as described by Travell and Simons (1999);
2. have a hyperirritable spot within a palpable tight band that reproduced the participant's pain when compressed by palpation; and
3. have a body mass index (BMI) lower than 28

Exclusion Criteria:

1. diagnosis of capsulitis, cancer, or metastasis;
2. previous shoulder or thorax surgery or a mastectomy;
3. shoulder girdle bone fracture;
4. C4-C5 or C6 radiculopathy;
5. known osteoporotic profile (positive bone densitometry);
6. apparent atrophy of the infraspinatus fossa (visual interpretation) and
7. contraindications to receive a DN intervention

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Dry needling of a trigger point in the infraspinatus muscle; Insertion a a acupuncture type needle into a trigger point in the infraspinatus muscle on the painful side to decrease the stiffness and tone and increase the elasticity	Procedure: Dry needling; Insertion of a Optimed 40mm x 0.30 single use, sterile acupuncture needle into a active trigger point in the infraspinatus muscle

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Tone in Hertz measured with a myotonometer on the trigger point	Measurement of the tone in Hz with the myotonometer MyotonPro on the trigger point	baseline
Tone in Hertz measured with a myotonometer on the trigger point	Measurement of the tone in Hz with the myotonometer MyotonPro on the trigger point	immediately after the intervention
Tone in Hertz measured with a myotonometer on the trigger point	Measurement of the tone in Hz with the myotonometer MyotonPro on the trigger point	30 minutes after the intervention
Stiffness in N/m with a myotonometer on the trigger point	Measurement of the stiffness in N/m with the myotonometer MyotonPro on the trigger point	baseline
Stiffness in N/m with a myotonometer on the trigger point	Measurement of the stiffness in N/m with the myotonometer MyotonPro on the trigger point	immediately after the intervention
Stiffness in N/m with a myotonometer on the trigger point	Measurement of the stiffness in N/m with the myotonometer MyotonPro on the trigger point	30 minutes after the intervention
Elasticity (no units: inversely proportional to the decrement of the oscillations) with a myotonometer on the trigger point	Measurement of the elasticity with the MyotonPro	baseline
Elasticity (no units: inversely proportional to the decrement of the oscillations) with a myotonometer on the trigger point	Measurement of the elasticity with the MyotonPro	immediately after the intervention
Elasticity (no units: inversely proportional to the decrement of the oscillations) with a myotonometer on the trigger point	Measurement of the elasticity with the MyotonPro	30 minutes after the intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Université de Sherbrooke

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 1, 2018
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 7, 2018
• Study Completion (Actual): September 20, 2019

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 27, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 14, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): July 20, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 20, 2020
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 14, 2020
• Last Verified: July 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: stiffness; myofascial trigger points,; dry needling,
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Joint Diseases; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Arthralgia; Shoulder Pain
• Other Study ID Numbers: MON07

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No