NCT07384247

Trigger Point Dry Needling With and Without Electrical Stimulation in Healthy Subjects

Effect of Electrical Stimulation With Trigger Point Dry Needling on Pain and H-Reflex Muscle Activity

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 40 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Rhode Island · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 55 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

DN is one of the most commonly used physical therapy (PT) interventions for managing trigger points (Tp). Evidence suggests that DN was equally effective as other PT interventions, compared to no treatment or Sham-DN. Electrical stimulation (ES) is also a commonly used non-invasive method for pain management during PT. Recently, several studies suggested that combining DN with ES may be more effective in trigger point release than DN alone. The goal of this clinical trial was to determine the effects that trigger point dry needling with and without electrical stimulation had on pain threshold. It would also learn about the effect the trigger point dry needling has on muscle activity in people with identified painful trigger points within the soleus and gastrocnemius muscle complex. The main questions it aims to answer are: * In terms of trigger point pain threshold, is DN combined with ES superior to DN alone, ES alone, or Sham treatment? * In terms of muscle activity, is DN with ES superior to DN only, ES only or Sham treatment? Researchers will compare dry needling with electrical stimulation, dry needling only, electrical stimulation only and a Sham treatment to see these interventions affect pain threshold and muscle activity. Participants will: * Randomly assigned as one of the four groups * Visit the clinic once for test * Receive permission and conduct intervention according to protocol.

Conditions

• People With Identified Painful Trigger Points (Tp) Within the Soleus and Gastrocnemius Muscles Complex
• Healthy Subjects or Volunteers

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
PROCEDURE	Dry needling with electrical stimulation	A dry needle inserted into the trigger point and left in the muscle for 10 min. Also, parameters of electrical stimulation were set at a frequency of 30 Hz and a pulse width of 0.6 ms, at an intensity that caused a small muscle contraction.
PROCEDURE	Dry needling	A dry needle inserted into the trigger point and left in the muscle for 10 min. To ensure uniformity in conditions across all groups, a placebo electrical stimulation protocol was implemented, characterized by the initiation of electrical stimulation followed by its immediate cessation.
PROCEDURE	Electrical stimulation	Electrical stimulation setting is same as above dry needling with electrical stimulation group while the needle touch the skin to cause a prick over the muscle and were held there for 10 min.
PROCEDURE	Sham	The needle touches the skin to cause a prick over the muscle and were held there for 10 min (placebo dry needling) with placebo electrical stimulation which means initiating electrical stimulation but removing it instantaneously.

Timeline

• Start date: 2023-01-02
• Primary completion: 2023-04-20
• Completion: 2023-04-30
• First posted: 2026-02-03
• Last updated: 2026-02-03

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States