Dry needling versus muscle energy technique on shoulder adhesive capsulitis post mastectomy

Abstract

Objectives. To compare the effect of dry needling and muscle energy technique on adhesive capsulitis post mastectomy. Design. A single-blinded randomized clinical study. Setting. Outpatient setting. Subjects. Fifty female patients diagnosed with shoulder adhesive capsulitis post mastectomy, ranging in age from 30 to 60 years, were randomly assigned to two groups. Participants in Group A were administered dry needling treatment, plus a traditional physical therapy program in the form of shoulder joint mobilization, shoulder muscle stretching, and ROM exercise; Group B received muscle energy technique, plus a traditional physical therapy program in the form of shoulder joint mobilization, shoulder muscle stretching, and ROM exercise. Intervention. Two sessions per week over five weeks. Outcome measures. Shoulder range of motion, pressure pain threshold, and shoulder dysfunction were measured pre-treatment and post-treatment. Results. There was no statistically significant difference observed in the age distribution between the groups (p > 0.05). Following the treatment, there was a notable rise in the pressure pain threshold and a considerable decline in shoulder dysfunction when compared to the pre-treatment condition (p < 0.001). There was a notable rise in the ranges of shoulder flexion, abduction, and external rotation after the treatment when compared to before the treatment in both group A and B (p > 0.001). The percentage of change in flexion, abduction, and external rotation in group A was 125.03%, 76.43%, and 58.72%, respectively. In contrast, group B exhibited percentage changes of 137.48%, 97.51%, and 68.78% in flexion, abduction, and external rotation, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference seen between the groups prior to treatment, as shown by a p-value greater than 0.05. The analysis of the data after treatment demonstrated a statistically significant rise in the pressure pain threshold for group A in comparison to group B (p < 0.001). However, there was no significant disparity observed in shoulder dysfunction between the two groups (p > 0.05). Following the treatment, there was a notable rise in the range of motion (ROM) for flexion, extension, and abduction in group B when compared to group A (p < 0.001). Conclusion. Application of either dry needling or muscle energy technique results in a notable enhancement in the severity of symptoms in adhesive capsulitis post mastectomy, with superiority for dry needling.