Effects of Dry Needling on Function, Muscle Tone and Quality of Life in Parkinson's Disease
Condition: Parkinson Disease
MeSH terms: Parkinson Disease
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Hypothesis: Dry needling in lower limbs produces a change in function (assessed by the 6
      minute walk test, timed up and go, 10 meter walk test and unified scale for Parkinson's
      disease) and muscle tone (assessed by tonometry and the modified of Modified Ashworth
      scale(MMAS)) in patients with Parkinson's disease.

      The main objective of this study is to analyze the effect of dry needling on function and
      muscle tone in subjects with Parkinson disease.

      The secondary objective is to analyze the longterm effects of dry needling on function and
      muscle tone in subjects with Parkinson disease.
    

Detailed description: 
      Methods:

      It is a double-blinded randomized clinical trial where subjects are patients from Zaragoza
      and have been diagnosed with Parkinson´disease by a neurologist.

      Inclusion criteria:

        -  Patients diagnosed with Parkinson by a neurologist.

        -  Age: 50 - 90 years.

        -  Presence of Hypertonia according to: MMAS score > 1 during movement of ankle
           dorsiflexion or knee flexion and extension.

      Exclusion criteria:

        -  Degenerative diseases that may affect the results.

        -  Presence of fixed contractures.

        -  Fear of needles.

        -  No tolerance to pain caused by dry needling

        -  No commitment to continuity.

        -  Attrition criteria

      Attrition criteria:

        -  Adverse effects relate to the DNHS technique.

        -  Subject Uncooperative that prevents proper protocol execution performance -Voluntary
           decision of the patient.

      Intervention:

      There will be an intervention group (dry needling into the muscles of the lower limbs that
      present tone dysfunction according to an expert clinician) and a control group (sham dry
      needling). The intervention will be a unique session.

      Dry needling technique will be performed by locating the taut band and the Myofascial Trigger
      Point by an expert clinician. After that, a thin needle (0,32x40mm) is introduced directly
      into a Myofascial Trigger Point with the aims to generate a "local twitch response" that are
      involuntary contractions of the muscle fibers. This puncture may reproduce patient's
      symptoms, and causes muscle relaxation to achieve at the same time the relief of muscle
      tension and pain and also to recover the metabolism of the muscle.

      Assessment:

      Outcome measures will include tone muscle measured by tonometry and the MMAS and functional
      clinical scales including: 6 minute walk test, timed up and go, 10 meter walk test and
      Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale.
    

Intervention name(s): Dry needling; Sham dry Needling
Intervention type(s): Other; Other
Intervention description(s): Dry needling into spastic muscle; Sham dry needling into spastic muscle
Other intervention name(s): DNHS technique
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double (Participant, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Dry needling; Parkinson Disease; myofascial trigger point