The comparison between dry needling and electro-acupuncture of the upper trapezius on pain, ultrasonography changes, and functional disability of the upper limb in the subjects with myofascial pain syndrome

authors:

avatar reza jajarmi , avatar Ziaeddin Safavi-Farokhi , * , avatar Fatemeh Paknazar

Koomesh: Vol.25, issue 6; 621-630
published online: October 01, 2023
article type: Research Article
received: January 06, 2023
accepted: February 01, 2023

how to cite: jajarmi R, Safavi-Farokhi Z, Paknazar F. The comparison between dry needling and electro-acupuncture of the upper trapezius on pain, ultrasonography changes, and functional disability of the upper limb in the subjects with myofascial pain syndrome. koomesh. 2023;25(6):e154166. 

Abstract

Introduction: Myofascial pain syndrome is one of the most common causes of pain today, the important feature of which is the presence of trigger points. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of dry needling (DN) and electroacupuncture (EA) of the upper trapezius muscle on ultrasonic changes, pain intensity, and upper limb functional disability in patients with myofascial pain syndrome. Materials and Methods: 30 people with active trigger points in the upper trapezius muscle were included in the study and divided into two experimental groups 1 (treatment with dry needling) and experimental group 2 (treatment with electroacupuncture). The experimental groups were treated for 4 sessions (2 sessions per week) for 2 weeks, and the three variables of pain intensity, functional disability index, and upper trapezius muscle thickness before treatment (pre-test), after treatment (post-test 1), and one month after It was evaluated from the treatment (post-test 2). Results: The results showed that statistically significant difference between pain intensity, functional disability index, and upper trapezius muscle thickness in the post-test stages 1 and 2 compared to the pre-test stage (P<0.05. (There was no statistically significant difference between the short-term effect (post-test 1 of the pre-test ratio) and long-term (post-test 2 of the pre-test ratio) in the index of functional disability and thickness of the upper trapezius muscle (P>0.05), while the pain intensity in the long-term effect (post-test 2 ratio) pre-test) there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups (P<0.05) and pain reduction in the EA group was greater than the DN group (0.86±0.26 versus 0.73±0.38). Conclusion: DN and EA treatment methods in people with trigger points in the upper trapezius muscle cause short-term improvement in pain intensity, functional disability, and muscle thickness. Of course, EA performed better in long-term effects.

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