Dry needling latent upper trapezius myofascial trigger points and the immediate effects on cervical motor performance: a randomized controlled pre-post clinical trial
| dc.contributor.author | Bone, Robin | |
| dc.contributor.examiningcommittee | Shay, Barbara (Physical Therapy) | |
| dc.contributor.examiningcommittee | Passmore, Steven (Kinesiology and Recreation Management) | |
| dc.contributor.supervisor | MacNeil, Brian | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-09-13T20:44:28Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-09-13T20:44:28Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024-08-22 | |
| dc.date.submitted | 2024-08-23T20:12:31Z | en_US |
| dc.date.submitted | 2024-09-13T18:33:58Z | en_US |
| dc.degree.discipline | Rehabilitation Sciences | |
| dc.degree.level | Master of Science (M.Sc.) | |
| dc.description.abstract | Background: Dry needling (DN) is an efficacious intervention for recurrent cervical pain. However, there is a paucity of research on the impact of DN on motor performance using quantitative objective outcome measures. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of DN compared to a sham needling procedure on latent upper trapezius (UT) myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) in participants with a recurrent history of neck pain. Method: A blinded pre-post clinical trial was performed. Thirty-six volunteers (mean age 35) with recurrent neck pain and latent MTrPs in UT were randomly assigned to a DN or a penetrating sham group. A single needling intervention was performed. Clinical outcomes included active range of motion (ROM), pain with the visual analogue scale (VAS), Neck Disability Index (NDI) and pain pressure thresholds (PPT). A Fitts’ Law-based head turning task assessed motor outcomes. Results: Immediately following treatment both groups showed no change in pain (p > 0.05) or ROM (p > 0.05) while PPT was increased (p < 0.001). Pain was reduced at the one-week follow up (p < 0.001). Movement time (MT) was reduced in both groups after the intervention (p < 0.001). Both constant and variable error were also reduced post-intervention (p < 0.001, p = 0.002; respectively). An interesting trend was found with movement initiation (peak velocity and peak acceleration), where after the DN intervention participants’ initial movement was faster; this trend was not seen in participants in the sham procedure group. Conclusions: Needling interventions can impact central pain processing resulting in decreased pain perception, with subsequent reductions in MTs. These data suggest that DN triggered a sensorimotor response that altered or reset muscle activation patterns leading to different movement strategies. | |
| dc.description.note | October 2024 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/1993/38596 | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | |
| dc.subject | Myofascial Trigger Points | |
| dc.subject | Dry needling | |
| dc.subject | Motor performance | |
| dc.subject | Fitts' task | |
| dc.title | Dry needling latent upper trapezius myofascial trigger points and the immediate effects on cervical motor performance: a randomized controlled pre-post clinical trial | |
| local.subject.manitoba | no |