Dry Needling and Pain Education in the Treatment of Chronic Neck Pain

Dry Needling and Pain Neuroscience Education in Chronic Pain Patients

to compare the effects on pain, disability and psychological factors of the combination of MTrP dry needling and pain neuroscience education to MTrPs dry needing alone and control electrotherapy usual care in patients with chronic neck pain.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Mechanical neck pain for at least 12 weeks
• 10% or higher on the Neck Disability Index questionnaire
• 20mm or higher on the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) of neck pain
• Presence of at least one active myofascial trigger point

Exclusion Criteria:

• Neck pain associated with whiplash injuries
• Medical red flag history (i.e., tumour, fracture, metabolic diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis)
• Neck pain with cervical radiculopathy
• Neck pain associated with externalized cervical disc herniation
• Fibromyalgia syndrome
• Previous neck surgery
• Neck pain accompanied by vertigo caused by vertebrobasilar insufficiency or accompanied by non-cervicogenic headaches