TY - JOUR T1 - SportsMedUpdate JF - British Journal of Sports Medicine JO - Br J Sports Med SP - 1206 LP - 1208 DO - 10.1136/bjsm.2010.077750 VL - 44 IS - 16 AU - Martin P Schwellnus Y1 - 2010/12/01 UR - http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/44/16/1206.abstract N2 - Dry needling of myofascial trigger points (MTPs) effectively reduces pain and disability up to 14 days after treatment—there is little difference in the use of different-sized needles. Yoon S-H, Rah UW, Sheen SS, et al. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2009;90:1332–9.OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science Background MTPs are small highly sensitive areas in the muscle that are painful to palpation and can cause referred pain—dry needling of MTP's is a commonly used treatment method. Research question/s Does the needle diameter of needles used in dry needling of MTPs affect pain during needling and treatment efficacy (pain, disability) after 2 weeks' follow-up? Methodology Subjects: Seventy-seven patients with myofascial pain syndrome (>3 months) (upper- and middle-trapezius muscles). Experimental procedure: All the subjects were assessed (including neck and upper back pain—Visual Analogue Scale (VAS); Neck Disability Index—NDI; Quality of life from Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey—SF-36). Subjects were randomised into three groups (n=25 each) receiving trigger point injections on one side of the trapezius with a large- (21), intermediate- (23) or small-gauge (25) needle. Pain during injection was evaluated immediately after injection (VAS). Following the injection, subjects were followed up at 1, 4, 7 and 14 days. Measures of outcome: Pain (VAS); NDI; quality of life (SF-36); pain intensity during injection (VAS). Main finding/s ▶ Pain: There was a significant decrease in pain (VAS) in all three groups from day 4 post-treatment.▶ Pain intensity during injection (VAS score) was not significantly different between the groups. Conclusion/s Dry needling of MTPs effectively reduces … ER -