Effectiveness of Dry Needling and STM on Pain Management for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction (ACLR)

The Effectiveness of Dry Needling and Soft Tissue Mobilization in the Management of Pain Post Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Reconstruction: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The purpose of this study is to determine if dry needling (DN) and soft tissue mobilization (STM) is superior to standard treatment protocol for affecting pain, pain medication usage and measurements of range of motion (ROM) after ACL reconstruction surgery compared to a standard treatment protocol. Measurements of pain, pain medication usage, lower extremity functional scale (LEFS) and ROM will be taken day 2 post op and 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, and 4 weeks post op. It is hypothesized that the inclusion of DN and STM will acutely decrease the demand for pain medication and improve objective measurements when compared to a standard treatment protocol. Findings will potentially lead to insights as to the benefit of applying these interventions to help decrease the demand for pain medication post-surgery.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 18-40 Department of Defense( DOD) beneficiaries (17 if Cadet)
• Scheduled for ACL Reconstruction Surgery

Exclusion Criteria:

• Self-Reported Pregnancy
• History of blood borne pathogens/infectious disease/active infection/metal allergy
• Bleeding disorders or currently taking anti-coagulant medications
• Participants who are not fluent in English