Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2018 Jun;97(26):e11255.
doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000011255.

Effects of dry needling in an exercise program for older adults with knee osteoarthritis: A pilot clinical trial

Eleuterio A Sánchez-Romero  1 , Daniel Pecos-Martín, César Calvo-Lobo, Victoria Ochoa-Sáez, Verónica Burgos-Caballero, Josué Fernández-Carnero
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Effects of dry needling in an exercise program for older adults with knee osteoarthritis: A pilot clinical trial

Eleuterio A Sánchez-Romero et al. Medicine (Baltimore). 2018 Jun.

Abstract

Background: Few studies have investigated the dry needling (DN) approach on knee osteoarthritis (KO) patients. The study's aim was to evaluate the short-term efficacy of adding DN to a therapeutic exercise protocol in the treatment of KO in older adults.

Methods: A double-blind, pilot clinical trial with parallel groups [NCT02698072] was carried out for 12 weeks of treatment and follow-up. Twenty patients aged 65 years and older with myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) in the muscles of the thigh were recruited from older-adult care centers and randomly assigned to a DN + Exercise group or a Sham-DN + Exercise group. The Numeric Rating Scale (NRS; primary outcome) and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index questionnaire (WOMAC) were assessed before and after the intervention.

Results: The NRS (analysis of variance, ANOVA) showed statistically significant differences in the time factor (F = 53.038; P < .0001; ηp = 0.747). However, it did not show a significant change in the group-time interaction (F = 0.082; P = .777; ηp = 0.005). The WOMAC scores (ANOVA) showed statistically significant differences in the time factor for total score WOMAC questionnaire (F = 84.826; P < .0001; ηp = 0.825), WOMAC pain (F = 90.478; P < .0001; ηp = 0.834), WOMAC stiffness (F = 14.556; P < .001; ηp = 0.447), and WOMAC function (F = 70.872; P < .0001; ηp = 0.797). However, it did not show a statistically significant change in the group-time interaction.

Conclusion: Despite the pain intensity and disability clinically relevant improvement for both DN and Sham-DN combined with exercise, 6 sessions of DN added to a therapeutic exercise program for older adults with KO did not seem to improve pain intensity and functionality.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Process of recruitment and dropouts.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Numerical rating scale of pain intensity differences between both groups. DN = dry needling.
Figure 3
Figure 3
WOMAC scores differences between both groups. DN = dry needling; WOMAC = Western Ontario & McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Altman R, Asch E, Bloch D, et al. Development of criteria for the classification and reporting of osteoarthritis: classification of osteoarthritis of the knee. Arthr Rheum 1986;29:1039–49. - PubMed
    1. D’Ambrosia RD. Epidemiology of osteoarthritis. Orthopedics 2005;28(2 suppl):s201–5. - PubMed
    1. Felson DT, Zhang Y, Hannan MT, et al. The incidence and natural history of knee osteoarthritis in the elderly: the Framingham Osteoarthritis Study. Arthritis Rheum 1995;38:1500–5. - PubMed
    1. Felson DT, Naimark A, Anderson J, et al. The prevalence of knee osteoarthritis in the elderly: the Framingham Osteoarthritis Study. Arthr Rheum 1987;30:914–8. - PubMed
    1. Enquesta de Salut de Catalunya (Catalonia Health Survey). Generalitat de Catalunya. 2011.

Publication types