Dry Needling Versus Manual Therapy for Patients With Mechanical Neck Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial

• Published in: The journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapy Vol. 54; no. 4; p. 1
• Main Authors: Pandya, Jeevan, Puentedura, Emilio J, Koppenhaver, Shane, Cleland, Josh
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-04-2024
• Subjects: Adult; Dry Needling; Exercise Therapy - methods; Humans; Middle Aged; Musculoskeletal Manipulations - methods; Neck Pain - therapy; Percutaneous Collagen Induction; neck pain; dry needling; manual therapy; therapeutic exercises
• ISSN: 1938-1344

To compare the short- and intermediate-term effects of dry needling to manual therapy on pain, disability, function, and patient-perceived improvement in patients with mechanical neck pain.
A single (therapist) blinded randomized controlled trial.
Seventy-eight patients (mean ± SD age, 50.74 ± 13.81) were randomly assigned to one of the 2 groups: (1) dry needling and therapeutic exercises (DN + Exercises) and (2) manual therapy and therapeutic exercises (MT + Exercises). Both groups received 7 treatment sessions over a maximum of 6 weeks. Outcome measures, collected at baseline, 2 weeks, discharge (7th treatment session), and 3 months after discharge, were as follows: Neck Disability Index (NDI), numeric pain-rating scale (NPRS), Patient-Specific Functional Scale (PSFS), global rating of change (GROC), Fear-Avoidance Belief Questionnaire (FABQ), and Deep Neck Flexor Endurance Test (DNFET). Data were analyzed with mixed-model analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), using pretest scores as covariates, and a Mann-Whitney U test for GROC scores.
The ANCOVA revealed significant group-by-time interaction for all variables. Significant between-group differences, favoring MT + Exercises, were observed at all 3 time points on the NDI (2 weeks: F
= 172.68,
≤.001, [Formula: see text] = .27; discharge: F
= 254.15,
≤.001, [Formula: see text] = .36; and 3 months: F
= 339.40,
≤.001, [Formula: see text] = .43). Results for the MT + Exercises group exceeded recommended minimal clinically important difference for all variables, at all follow-up points.
MT + Exercises was more effective, both in the short term and intermediate term, than DN + Exercises in reducing pain, disability, and improving function in patients with mechanical neck pain.
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