Dry Needling and Muscle Stiffness

Effect of Intramuscular Dry Needling on Soft Tissue Stiffness and Pressure-pain Thresholds

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.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Muscle Tightness
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: Intramuscular Dry Needling

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 28
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Michael Koehle, MD, PhD; Phone Number: 604 822 9331; Email: michael.koehle@ubc.ca
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Pearson Wyder-Hodge, BSc; Phone Number: 778 887 7735; Email: wyderhod@student.ubc.ca

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 16 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

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.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• 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: Intramuscular Dry Needling; IMDN will be performed at the sacral multifidus and fibularis longus muscles.	Procedure: Intramuscular 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.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Effective stiffness of soft tissue	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.	Within 10 minutes of intervention
Pressure-pain threshold	The measured pressure at the moment the perception of pressure turns into pain	Within 10 minutes of intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of British Columbia
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Michael Koehle, MD, PhD, University of British Columbia

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Anticipated): December 1, 2022
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): September 1, 2023
• Study Completion (Anticipated): September 1, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 7, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 12, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): September 14, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): December 14, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 12, 2022
• Last Verified: December 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: H22-01852

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No

Drug and device information, study documents

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