Effects of Dry Needling on Pain in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Preliminary Study

BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis is one of the most common rheumatological diseases and is also considered as one of the causes of myofascial trigger points (MtrPs). Dry needling (DN) is one of the methods used for the treatment of the MtrPs. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effects of DN on pain in participants with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this before and after preliminary clinical trial study, patients with mild to moderate KOA were enrolled. In one session, after determining the location of trigger points in quadriceps and gastrocnemius muscles, the patients underwent DN. The pain was evaluated at baseline, by passing 4 days and 1 month from the intervention using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). RESULTS: Sixteen patients with a mean age of 56.5 (4.53) years old have completed the study and follow-up period. According to the ANOVA analysis, VAS values indicated a significant decrease in pain score at the 4(th) and 1 month after the intervention compared to baseline (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference between VAS at the 4(th) day of intervention and also 1 month later of intervention (P = 0.087). CONCLUSION: The application of one session DN can lead to improvement in pain intensity in participants with mild to moderate KOA.