The Effects of Dry Needling on Pain Intensity and Pain Pressure Threshold in Patients with Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain: A Clinical Randomized Controlled Trial (Original article)

Abstract

Background: The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of dry needling on pain and pain pressure threshold (PPT) in patients with non-specific chronic low back pain (NSCLBP). Methods: 29 patients with NSCLBP were randomly allocated into two experimental (N=14) and control (N=15) groups. The dry needling intervention was considered for quadratus lumborum, gluteus medius, and lumbar multifidus, in 6 sessions, and subjects of the control group followed their routine lifestyle. The measurements included pain and PPT, which were evaluated in the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up periods. The pain was a variable that had a three-month follow-up assessment. Analysis of variance of combined measurement with repeated measurement and Benferoni's post hoc test were used to investigate the effect of the intervention on the outcome measurements. Results: Three sessions of trigger point dry needling did not lead to a significant change in pain. However, after five sessions of dry needling, a significant decrease in pain was observed (p<0.05), and the positive changes significantly remained until one and three months after the end of the intervention (p<0.05). Furthermore; significant changes in PPT scores were detected following five sessions of trigger point dry needling treatment (p<0.05). These changes remained constant in the one-month follow-up assessment (p<0.05). Conclusion: Dry needling for the trigger points of the QL, GM, and LM muscles can improve pain intensity and PPT in patients with NSLBP