NCT04535479

Dry Needling for Spasticity in Stroke

Neurophysiological Characterization of Dry Needling in People With Spasticity Due to Stroke

• Status: Active Not Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 32 (actual)
• Sponsor: Medical University of South Carolina · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The study team is recruiting 20 adults with spasticity due to chronic stroke and 20 adults with no neurological injuries for a 2 day study. In people with chronic stroke, one of the most common and disabling problems is spasticity (increased muscle tone or muscle stiffness). The purpose of this research study is to examine effects of dry needling on the nervous system (pathways between the muscle, spinal cord, and brain) in people with spasticity due to chronic stroke. Dry needling is a procedure in which a thin, stainless steel needle is inserted into your skin to produce a muscle twitch response. It is intended to release a knot in your muscle and relieve pain. The total study duration is 2 days. The first visit will take about 3 hours, during which dry needling will take place, and the second visit will take about 1 hour. During both visits you will be asked to participate in examinations of reflexes (muscle responses to non-invasive nerve stimulation) and arm/leg function.

Conditions

• Stroke
• Muscle Spasticity

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Dry Needling	Dry needling is a procedure in which a thin, stainless steel needle is inserted into the skin to produce a muscle twitch response. It is intended to release a knot in a muscle and relieve pain.

Timeline

• Start date: 2020-09-08
• Primary completion: 2026-06-30
• Completion: 2026-06-30
• First posted: 2020-09-02
• Last updated: 2025-06-19

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States