Efficacy of the dry needling of myofascial syndrome in the trapezius muscle: A systematic review

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the efficacy of the dry needling technique in the treatment of trigger points of the trapezius muscle. Material & Methods: A systematic search was carried out in the databases: PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science with the terms neck pain, trapezius, dry needling and acupuncture therapy. The results were analyzed following two inclusion criteria: studies published after 2014, and studies that aimed to evaluate the effects of dry needling on trapezius muscle. Seventeen articles were obtained, which were evaluated according to their methodological quality with the JADAD Scale and analyzed according to: study objective, experimental design, sample, intervention applied, variables analyzed, instruments used to quantify the results and results obtained. Results: Thirteen articles were selected in which, practically all, show that dry needling decreases pain intensity, improves range of motion, increases the painful threshold to pressure and eliminates, in most cases, trigger points. Conclusions: The dry needling has effects on cervical pain and disability, generated by myofascial dysfunction, have been identified. This technique did not show significant improvements compared to other techniques analyzed, but it did prove to be a treatment as valid as other more conventional ones. Keywords: Dry needling; Trigger point; Cervical pain; Trapezius; Rehabilitation