1.The Impact of Dry Needling on Patients with Neck Pain in a Tertiary Hospital
Ho SE ; Loong S ; Fatin Nur Laily R ; Wan Nur Aizzati M ; Muhamad Firdaus IZ ; Christopher Ho CK ; Katijah Bee MA ; Henry LJ ; Ismail MS
Journal of Surgical Academia 2015;5(1):44-50
Neck pain presents as a symptom of dull pain or discomfort mainly along the trapezius muscle. Dry needling is an
invasive procedure which uses acupuncture needle directed at myofascial trigger points. The aim of the study was to
evaluate the effectiveness of dry needling in managing patients with neck pain. A pre-test-post-test interventional
study design was used. Patient education package was provided to 32 respondents who fulfilled the inclusion criteria.
A 13-item Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) questionnaire was used to assess Rumination, Magnification and
Helplessness. Subjective pain intensity was measured by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). These questionnaires were
given before and after the dry needling intervention. The findings reported that respondents scored high in pre-test
total PCS score (27.41±13.652). Post-test result revealed a significant improvement in total PCS score
(23.06±13.938) (p = 0.000). Post-test VAS score (4.78±1.237) was also significantly better than pre-test
(6.47±1.414) (p = 0.000). There was no significant difference in pre-test PCS in terms of marital status (p > 0.05)
whereas there was significant difference between marital status and rumination in post-test (Z = -2.303, p = 0.021).
There was significant difference between pre-test magnification in terms of respondents’ occupation (p = 0.008) and
race (p = 0.035) but no significant difference in post-test. Respondents’ age group showed no significant differences
between pre-test and post-test PCS and VAS (p > 0.05). In conclusion, patients who received dry needling showed
improvement in pain intensity and catastrophizing towards neck pain.
Neck Pain