Effect of Dry Needling on Surface Electromyographic Activity in Latent Trigger Points

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Brief summary: The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of Dry Needling (DN) on electromyographic activity in different situations at the latent trigger point (LTrP) point of the upper trapezius. Randomized controlled trial, in parallel with the crossover control design. Two groups with LTrP in the upper trapezius, and the DN group or the Sham-Dn group will be randomly selected.

Official Title
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Effect of Dry Needling on Surface Electromyographic Activity in Latent Trigger Points

Conditions
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Trigger Point Pain, Myofascial

Intervention / Treatment
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* Device: Intervention-Dry Needling
* Device: Control-Dry Needling


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Age between 18 and 30 years The presence of LTrP in the middle third of the upper trapezius muscle onthe dominant side Being able to provide written informed consent Being able to follow instructions and realize clinical tests Exclusion Criteria: Any pharmacological therapeutic Any medical treatment or physical therapies at cervical region during the 6-month before this study Any diagnosed health problem Any history of head and upper extremity surgery or trauma Any red flags to DN, (ie: metabolic diseases, pregnancy, kinesiophobia,Infection, cancer)• Absence of recurrent history of neck pain No neck pain symptomatology the previous 6 months Cervical disk herniation

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 30 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Deep Dry Needling<br>Intervention-Dry Needling: Deep Dry Needing into the latent trigger point of the upper trapezius muscle | Device: Intervention-Dry Needling<br>* Deep Dry Needling into the site of the latent TriggerPoint of the upper trapezius muscle. 1 session in upper trapezius muscle moving the needle up and down ten times.<br>|
| Placebo Comparator: Sham Dry Needling<br>Control-Dry Needling: Sham Dry Needling into the latent trigger point of the upper trapezius muscle | Device: Control-Dry Needling<br>* Sham Dry Needling into the site of the latent Trigger Point of the upper trapezius muscle with non-penetrating needles<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Changes in resting surface EMG activity (amplitude, RMS) | EMG activity (RMS) of the upper trapezius after dry needling or sham needling as assessed by the EMG ME 6000 TE(Mega Electronics, Kuopio, Finland). Resting EMG activity will be expressed as a percentage of maximal reference contractions of the upper trapezius (% reference contractions). | Baseline, at 30 minutes after treatment, at 24 hours after treatment, at 72 hours after treatment | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Changes in resting surface EMG activity (Median frequency, MF) | EMG activity (RMS) of the upper trapezius after dry needling or sham needling as assessed by the EMG ME 6000 TE(Mega Electronics, Kuopio, Finland). EMG median frequency will be used to determine the endurance of the upper trapezius. The EMG median frequency will be measured in Hertz (Hz). | Baseline, at 30 minutes after treatment, at 24 hours after treatment, at 72 hours after treatment | 
| Changes in submaximal contrations surface EMG activity of upper trapezius (amplitude, RMS) | EMG activity (RMS) of the upper trapezius after dry needling or sham needling as assessed by the EMG ME 6000 TE(Mega Electronics, Kuopio, Finland). EMG activity of submaximal contractions will be expressed as a percentage of submaximal reference contractions of the upper trapezius (% reference contractions). | Baseline, at 30 minutes after treatment, at 24 hours after treatment, at 7submaximal contractions EMG activity will be expressed as a percentage of maximal reference contractions of the upper trapezius (% reference contractions).2 hours after treatment | 
| Changes in submaximal contrations surface EMG activity of upper trapezius (Median frequency, MF) | EMG activity (RMS) of the upper trapezius after dry needling or sham needling as assessed by the EMG ME 6000 TE(Mega Electronics, Kuopio, Finland). EMG median frequency will be used to determine the endurance of the upper trapezius. The EMG median frequency will be measured in Hertz (Hz). | Baseline, at 30 minutes after treatment, at 24 hours after treatment, at 72 hours after treatment | 
| Change in Pain Pressure Threshold (PPT) | Pressure-Pain Threshold as assessed by an manual mechanical algometer. PPT is the minimal amount of pressure that produces pain and is used to assess abnormalities in nociceptive processing or hyperalgesia. | Baseline, at 30 minutes after treatment, at 24 hours after treatment, at 72 hours after treatment | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Dry needling, Electromyography, Latent trigger point