Effectiveness of Dry Needling in Improving Pain and Function in Comparison with Other Techniques in Patients with Chronic Neck Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the short-, mid-, and long-term effectiveness of dry needling in improving pain and functional capacity of patients with chronic neck pain. Search strategy was performed on PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, PEDro, and Cochrane Library Plus biomedical databases. The risk of bias was assessed using the RoB2 tool. Randomised controlled clinical trials in which at least 1 of the groups received dry needling were included. 662 studies were found; 14 clinical trials were selected for qualitative analysis and 13 for quantitative analysis. The quality of most of the studies included was “high.” All the studies reported improvements in cervical pain and/or disability, regardless of the protocol followed and the muscles targeted. No serious adverse effects were reported. Dry needling showed to be more effective when compared with other therapies in both women and men, without differences by sex. When the analysis was carried out by age, patients over 40 years old benefitted more than those below 40 years old. Our meta-analysis supports the use of dry needling to improve pain and functional capacity in patients with chronic neck pain at short- and mid-term intervals.

Dry Needling for Arthrogenic Muscle Inhibition of Quadriceps Femoris in Patients after Reconstruction of Anterior Cruciate Ligament: a Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Dry needling (DN) is a relatively novel technique that is used by physiotherapists, which involves using a fine needle to puncture the skin, subcutaneous tissues, and muscles to treat a variety of neuromusculoskeletal conditions-for example: DN has been used extensively to treat musculoskeletal pain [15][16][17]. A meta-analysis provided evidence that DN could be used as an effective intervention for pain reduction in various musculoskeletal conditions [18].…”

“…A meta-analysis provided evidence that DN could be used as an effective intervention for pain reduction in various musculoskeletal conditions [18]. Moreover, DN has been shown to be an effective and useful intervention for pain and function, when combined with physiotherapy [15,19]. Patients with various conditions, such as those with latent trigger points, may suffer from muscle weakness and movement dysfunction.…”