Impact of dry needling and ischemic pressure in the myofascial syndrome: controlled clinical trial

Abstract

Introduction: Musculoskeletal pain is a common clinical condition and about 10% of the population have musculoskeletal disorder. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether ischemic pressure and dry needling techniques are able to reduce the pain of patients with myofascial pain syndrome. Method: 22 patients aged 20-75 years were randomized into 3 groups: ischemic pressure (IPG = 8), dry needling (DNG = 7) and control (CG = 7). Patients in the IPG and DNG were assessed before and after 10 intervention sessions, which occurred 3 times per week. The CG was assessed initially and reassessed three weeks later. The assessment of pain was done through Visual Analogic Scale (VAS) and quality of life through WHOQOL-BREF (5 domains: global, physical, psychological, social and environmental). Results: There was no significant difference for clinical and demographic data of all groups at baseline, except for age (p = 0.042). The results of the VAS expressed that IPG had pain relief in most sessions, the same was not observed for DNG. Comparing the 2 groups was obtained difference in the 4th and 8th sessions. The results of the WHOQOL-BREF showed that the three groups had a significant increase in the psychological domain. The same was not true for global domains, physical, environmental and social. Conclusion: Ischemic pressure and dry needling were able to reduce the pain of patients and also change their quality of life, specifically the psychological aspect.