Dry Needling Effectiveness and Post-punction Pain

Benefits and Harms of Dry Needling vs Transcutaneous Nerve Stimulation and Dry Needling in Patients With Chronic Myofascial Neck Pain and Relationship With Psychological Influences

The purpose of this estudy was to dertermine if the application of Transcutaneous Nerve Stimiulation (TENS) current have an hypoalgesic effect on pattientes suffering from miofascial neck pain, compared with a only dry needling treatment. Psicological varaibles were also mesured in order to determine how they change after each treatment.

All patients suffered from mechanical neck pain and were randomized into three groups of treatment. A doible blinded control was carryed out. The main outcome messures were Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). The scondary outcome messures were Pressure Pain hreshold (PPT) and Active Range of Movement (ROM). Also psicologicla messures were taken, like Neck Dissability Index, Level of stress and ansiety, Fear Pain and Pain Avoidance Strategies.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Mechanical Neck pain of at least 6 months.
• VAS 2 or greather.
• Existance of miofascial trigger point in trapezius muscle assesed by an expert PT.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Neck pain due secondary to ostheoporosis, metastasis, neoplasias, fractures, infections, cervical stenosis or infexious procces.
• Headache secondary to medular compression presenting one o the following signs: abnormal sensitivity, hiperreflexia, clonus, spread weakness, cervical hernia.
• Neck pain with radiculopathy.
• Whiplash.
• Vertebrobasilar syndrome.
• Dizzyness.
• Pregnancy.
• Having received dry needling treatment before.