Dry Needling Versus Stretching for Muscle Extensibility

Comparing Dry Needling and Stretching for the Management of Muscle Extensibility in Patients With Hip Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Hip osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most prevalent chronic disease in the world. Currently several authors have shown the presence of active myofascial trigger points (MTrP) in the muscles surrounding the hip joint that reproduce the symptoms of the patients with hip OA.

Despite of the beneficial effects that have shown may conservative non-pharmacological treatments, there is a lack of studies evaluating the effects of the conservative treatments on muscle extensibility.

According to the new paradigm about the presence of MTrPs, the investigators decided to conduct a randomized clinical trial to compare the effects of DN intervention and stretching protocol on muscle extensibility in patients with hip OA.

Inclusion Criteria:

• unilateral hip OA diagnosed medically with a X-Ray tess and following the American College of Rheumatology Criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

• Secondary osteoarthritis by a traumatism, Paget disease, inflammatory or metabolic disease, congenital diseases etc.
• Vascular or neurological disease.
• Musculoskeletal pathologies in lumbar spine, pelvis or lower limbs
• DN contraindications or fear of needles