Research Article
Comparison of Dry Needling versus Orthopedic
Manual Therapy in Patients with Myofascial Chronic Neck Pain:
A Single-Blind, Randomized Pilot Study
Irene Campa-Moran,
1
Etelvina Rey-Gudin,
1
Josué Fernández-Carnero,
2,3,4
Alba Paris-Alemany,
1,3,4,5
Alfonso Gil-Martinez,
1,3,4,5
Sergio Lerma Lara,
1,4,6
Almudena Prieto-Baquero,
7
José Luis Alonso-Perez,
7
and Roy La Touche
1,3,4,5
1
Faculty of Health Science, Department of Physiotherapy, Te Center for Advanced Studies University La Salle,
Faculty of Health Science, Te Autonomous University of Madrid, Aravaca, Madrid, Spain
2
Department of Physical Terapy, Occupational Terapy, Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine, King Juan Carlos University,
Alcorc´ on, Madrid, Spain
3
Hospital La Paz Institute for Health Research, IdiPAZ, Madrid, Spain
4
Motion in Brains Research Group, Te Center for Advanced Studies University La Salle, Te Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain
5
Institute of Neuroscience and Craniofacial Pain (INDCRAN), Madrid, Spain
6
Movement Analysis Laboratory, University Hospital Ni˜ no Jesus, Madrid, Spain
7
Department of Physiotherapy, European University of Madrid, Villaviciosa de Od´ on, Madrid, Spain
Correspondence should be addressed to Roy La Touche; roylatouche@yahoo.es
Received 5 September 2015; Accepted 21 October 2015
Academic Editor: Giustino Varrassi
Copyright © 2015 Irene Campa-Moran et al. Tis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution
License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly
cited.
Objective. Te aim of this study was to compare the efcacy of three interventions for the treatment of myofascial chronic neck
pain. Methods. Tirty-six patients were randomly assigned to one of three intervention groups: orthopedic manual therapy (OMT),
dry needling and stretching (DN-S), and sof tissue techniques (STT). All groups received two treatment sessions with a 48 h time
interval. Outcome measures included neck pain intensity measured using a visual analogue scale, cervical range of motion (ROM),
pressure pain threshold for measuring mechanical hyperalgesia, and two self-reported questionnaires (neck disability index and
pain catastrophizing scale). Results. Te ANOVA revealed signifcant diferences for the group × time interaction for neck disability,
neck pain intensity, and pain catastrophizing. Te DN-S and OMT groups reduced neck disability. Only the OMT group showed
decreases in mechanical hyperalgesia and pain catastrophizing. Te cervical ROM increased in OMT (i.e., fexion, side-bending,
and rotation) and DN-S (i.e., side-bending and rotation) groups. Conclusions. Te three interventions are all efective in reducing
pain intensity. Reduction in mechanical hyperalgesia and pain catastrophizing was only observed in the OMT group. Cervical ROM
improved in the DN-S and OMT groups and also neck disability being only clinically relevant for OMT group.
1. Introduction
Neck pain is one of the most frequent pain conditions; the
prevalence of neck pain in the general population has been
estimated between 10% and 15%, being more common in
females than in males [1]. In a recent study, the prevalence of
neck pain in the adult Spanish population has been estimated
at 19.5% [2].
Tere have been many studies to determine the causes of
neck pain, but there remains a lack of knowledge about the
etiology of this condition. Myofascial pain (MP) is a common
variety of such pain, usually caused by myofascial trigger
points (MTrPs) [3]. Te MTrPs in the neck muscles have been
associated with a possible source of referred facial and cranial
pain [3].
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Pain Research and Treatment
Volume 2015, Article ID 327307, 15 pages
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/327307