Effectiveness of dry needling on the treatment of patients with multiple sclerosis: systematic review

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study is to review the effectiveness of dry needling in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods: PubMed, Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases were searched from its inception until July 2023 and the reference lists of the articles obtained were manually searched. Studies examining the effectiveness of dry needling treatment alone or in combination with a different protocol in individuals diagnosed with MS, regardless of type, were included. The systematic review included quasi-experimental studies and case reports. Studies involving traditional Chinese medicine acupuncture applications, conference abstracts, and protocol records were excluded. Methodological quality assessments were carried out independently by two authors using tools developed by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). Results: A total of 130 studies were found in the searches. Some studies were excluded due to duplication, protocol registration, conference abstract, and content outside the scope of the study and 7 studies were included in the review. In total, 33 individuals were included in this review, 22 of whom were women. Four studies specified the MS type of the patients, while the other studies did not specify MS type. Conclusions: Despite some limitations, this is, to our knowledge, the first review summarizing studies evaluating the effectiveness of dry needling in MS patients. The dry needling technique alone or in a combination of treatments was effective in improving pain, spasticity, range of motion, dexterity, mobility, limb function, and quality of life in MS patients. However, these results should be treated with caution due to the small number of included studies and the lack of randomized controlled trials. Although it is too early to talk about the positive effects of the dry needling technique in MS patients, the study results are promising. More randomized controlled trials should be conducted on this topic.