NCT06809790

Dry Needling Combined With a Therapeutic Exercise Program in Myofascial Pain Syndrome: Sonographic Evaluation of Cervical Muscles

The Effect of Dry Needling of the Upper Trapezius Muscle Added to Therapeutic Exercise Therapy on the Thickness of the Cervical Muscles in Myofascial Pain Syndrome

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 73 (actual)
• Sponsor: Istanbul Training and Research Hospital · Other Government
• Sex: All
• Age: 20 Years – 65 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Patients between the ages of 20-65 years who present to the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation outpatient clinics of our hospital with complaints of back and neck pain and are diagnosed with myofascial pain syndrome will be referred to the physicians responsible for the study to be included in the study. Exclusion criteria will be reviewed, and patients with chronic pain for more than 3 months and an active trigger point in the unilateral upper trapezius muscle will be included in the study. Patients will be randomly divided into two groups; the first group will receive only exercise therapy (including cervical range of motion and trapezius stretching), and the second group will receive exercise and dry needling therapy (1 time per week, 3 sessions in total). Demographic data (age, gender, body mass index, occupation) of all patients included in the study will be recorded. The relationship between pain and loss of function according to the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Short Form 36 (SF-36), and Neck Disability Index (NDI) scales will be recorded. Bilateral upper trapezius, sternocleidomastoideus, and total cervical extensor muscle thickness (upper trapezius, splenius capitis, semispinalis capitis, semispinalis cervicis, and multifidus) and longus colli muscle thickness measurements will be made with the ultrasonography device in our clinic. The first group will receive only exercise therapy after the measurements. Patients in the second group will receive a total of 3 sessions of dry needling treatment to the trapezius muscle for active trigger points at 0, 1, and 2 weeks in addition to exercise therapy. After the initial examination, control VAS, SF-36, NDI, and control ultrasonographic measurements will be performed in all patients at the 3rd week and 6th week. Using data analysis methods, the effect of dry needling treatment for active trigger points in the trapezius muscle on pain and functionality as well as the thickness of the cervical muscles will be investigated.

Conditions

• Myofascial Pain Syndrome - Neck
• Myofascial Pain of Upper Trapezius Muscle

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Therapeutic Exercise Program	Participants in this group will receive a therapeutic exercise program (including cervical range of motion and trapezius stretching) during the study period.
PROCEDURE	Dry Needling	Participants in this group will receive dry needling treatment for active trigger points in addition to the therapeutic exercise program. Dry needling treatment will be applied in a total of 3 sessions at 0, 1, and 2. weeks, one week apart.

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-02-09
• Primary completion: 2025-07-25
• Completion: 2025-08-15
• First posted: 2025-02-05
• Last updated: 2025-08-19

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Turkey (Türkiye)