Article

Dry needling is an effective treatment for reducing pain associated
with active myofascial trigger points (a-MTrPs) in the short term. The duration
of the benefits of this treatment have not been fully assessed. OBJECTIVE: To
determine whether the benefits of dry needling (DN) of a-MTrPs are sustained 6
weeks posttreatment. DESIGN: Follow-up of a prospective study. SETTING: University. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 45 patients (13 male and 32 female) with cervical pain >3 months and a-MTrPs in the upper trapezius who completed 3 DN
treatments and who were evaluated 6 weeks posttreatment. INTERVENTIONS: None.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcomes were changes from baseline to follow-up
in scores for the verbal analogue scale (VAS), Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), and
MTrP status. MTrPs were rated as active (spontaneously painful), latent (painful
only on compression), and nonpalpable nodule. Responders were patients whose MTrP
status changed from active to latent or nonpalpable nodule (resolved). Secondary
outcomes were pain pressure threshold (PPT), Profile of Mood States, Oswestry
Disability Index (ODI), MOS 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), and
cervical range of motion. RESULTS: Pain measures remained significantly improved
6 weeks posttreatment (P < .003), as did the SF-36 physical functioning score
(0.01) and ODI (P = .002). Side bending and PPT for subjects with unilateral
MTrPs had sustained improvement (P = .002). The number of subjects with sustained
MTrP response at 6 weeks was significant (P < .001). Comparing responders to
nonresponders, the changes in VAS and BPI were statistically significant (P =
.006, P = .03) but the change in PPT was not. Patients with higher baseline VAS
scores had a higher risk of not responding to DN; those with a greater drop in
VAS score from baseline had a higher probability of sustained response. A 1-unit
decrease in VAS at baseline resulted in a 6.3-fold increase in the odds of being
a responder versus a nonresponder (P = .008). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, there
was sustained reduction of pain scores after completion of DN, which is more
likely with a greater drop in VAS score. Patients with higher baseline VAS scores
are less likely to respond to DN. Early intervention toward significant pain
reduction is likely to be associated with sustained clinical response. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.
CI - Copyright (c) 2017 American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS