The goal of this interventional study is to determine how well dry-needling can treat pain in people with Myofascial Pain Syndrome. The main questions it aims to answer are:
* Does dry needling improve pain for people with a trigger point (a tender, tight spot in the muscle)? * How well can Electrical Impedence Myography (EIM), Myofiber Threshold Tracking (TT), and Ultrasound (US) detect changes in the muscle related to dry needling treatment?
Researchers will compare dry needling to a placebo (a treatment that does not enter the trigger point) to see if dry needling works to treat Myofascial Pain Syndrome with trigger points in the trapezius muscle (the muscle that extends over the back of the neck and shoulders), as measured by these three outcome measures (EIM, US, TT).
Participants will:
* Visit the clinic twice: once to receive dry needling treatment, and once for a follow-up * Have muscle measurements taken before treatment and at follow-up * Have a daily survey to record the intensity of their pain
Ages 18-80
Presence of active trigger points with involvement of upper trapezius
Able to manage breakthrough pain with acetaminophen only, excluding stable doses of pain medications at time of enrollment, which can be continued
Multiple active trigger points in the trapezius muscle if physician assessment concludes that this may interfere with subject's ability to detect changes in pain improvement from trigger point therapy
Presence of cervical radicular pain, superimposed neuromuscular disease or condition that, in the opinion of the investigator, could confound interpretation of the data acquired from trapezius.
Fibromyalgia or other generalized pain condition
Opioid usage in the past 3 months
Parallel
Dry Needling
Procedure/SurgeryA physical therapy and pain management technique where a small is inserted into a trigger point (tight, tender spots in the muscle that cause pain) and maneuvered to provide pain relief.
Sham Treatment
Procedure/SurgeryTreatment where a sham treatment will be administered which does not directly target the trigger point. Subjects will not be able to tell the difference between dry needling and sham treatment.
Excitability threshold tracking (TT)
The secondary outcome will be maximum latency change with a conditioning stimulus
Muscle ultrasound
Echointensity
Electrical Impedance Myography (EIM)
The primary outcome will be 100 kHz phase angle in EIM
Algometer Measurement Device Output
The algometer is a simple pressure measurement tool which is placed directly over the trigger point. The examiner pushes down on the algometer, gradually increasing the pressure applied. The participant than verbally tells the examiner when they feel pain; the procedure is then terminated, and the examiner records the algometer pressure (measured in kg/cm\^2) at the instant of pain as the result. A lower value indicates greater pain sensitivity.
Click on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Lead sponsor
Massachusetts General Hospital
Collaborator
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
Collaborator
