TY - JOUR A2 - Hong, Chang-Zern AU - Mayoral, Orlando AU - Salvat, Isabel AU - Martín, María Teresa AU - Martín, Stella AU - Santiago, Jesús AU - Cotarelo, José AU - Rodríguez, Constantino PY - 2013 DA - 2013/03/27 TI - Efficacy of Myofascial Trigger Point Dry Needling in the Prevention of Pain after Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Trial SP - 694941 VL - 2013 AB - The aim of this study was to determine whether the dry needling ofmyofascial trigger points (MTrPs) is superior to placebo in theprevention of pain after total knee arthroplasty. Forty subjectswere randomised to a true dry needling group (T) or to a shamgroup (S). All were examined for MTrPs by an experienced physicaltherapist 4–5 hours before surgery. Immediately followinganesthesiology and before surgery started, subjects in the T groupwere dry needled in all previously diagnosed MTrPs, while the S groupreceived no treatment in their MTrPs. Subjects were blinded togroup allocation as well as the examiner in presurgical andfollow-up examinations performed 1, 3, and 6 months afterarthroplasty. Subjects in the T group had less pain afterintervention, with statistically significant differences in thevariation rate of the visual analogue scale (VAS) measurements 1 month after intervention andin the need for immediate postsurgery analgesics. Differenceswere not significant at 3- and 6-month follow-up examinations. Inconclusion, a single dry needling treatment of MTrP underanaesthesia reduced pain in the first month after kneearthroplasty, when pain was the most severe. Results show asuperiority of dry needling versus placebo. An interesting novelplacebo methodology for dry needling, with a real blindingprocedure, is presented. SN - 1741-427X UR - https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/694941 DO - 10.1155/2013/694941 JF - Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine PB - Hindawi Publishing Corporation KW - ER -