Dry Needling and Muscle Stiffness

NCT05538598 | Withdrawn

• 1 other identifier: H22-01852
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: N/A
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

The goal of this study is to investigate the effect of intramuscular dry needling (IMDN) on muscle stiffness and pain. Research has suggested that IMDN can reduce muscle stiffness in needled areas. As well, IMDN may reduce mechanical pain sensitivity experienced by individuals. IMDN will be performed at several anatomical locations. Muscle stiffness will be measured with a handheld probe, which measures contact force and displacement of soft tissue. Pressure-pain thresholds (PPT) will be discovered at each region of interest. Stiffness and pressure-pain thresholds will be collected before and after IMDN. The data collected from this research is important to understand the mechanism of IMDN and its relationship to pain.

Conditions

Muscle Tightness

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Effective stiffness of soft tissue

  Force-displacement data is collected while deforming the soft tissue at the skin surface with a non-invasive handheld probe. The effective stiffness is a summary of the deformation behavior of the soft tissue. It is estimated using the force-displacement data as an input to the incompressible isotropic hyperelastic Ogden model. A higher value indicates that the soft tissue is stiffer than a lower value.

  Within 10 minutes of intervention

• Pressure-pain threshold

  The measured pressure at the moment the perception of pressure turns into pain

  Within 10 minutes of intervention

Study Arms (1)

Intramuscular Dry Needling

EXPERIMENTAL

IMDN will be performed at the sacral multifidus and fibularis longus muscles.

Procedure: Intramuscular Dry Needling

Interventions

Intramuscular Dry Needling PROCEDURE

The insertion of thin monofilament needles (without injectate) into a tight band of muscle. The needles will be inserted into the muscle for \~10 seconds.

Intramuscular Dry Needling

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• over the age of 18
• pain-free in your lower back and lower legs

You may not qualify if:

• unable to communicate in English
• surgery of any kind in the lumbar spine or lower legs.
• participants with a skin condition that does not allow for hypoallergenic tape to be attached to their skin.
• have a BMI\>25
• unable to hold your breath for 20 seconds
• contraindications to dry needling, i.e. pregnancy; fever or infection that is in your bloodstream; unstable compromised immune system; unstable bleeding disorders; presence at the site of DN of infection, an open wound , a burn, cellulitis, or an undiagnosed lump; post- mastectomy/lymph node removal in the affected limb; post-major surgery (3-6 month time period); presence of metal or plastic implant; absent sensation in area of planned DN; post-bacterial endocarditis or heart valve conditions/replacement without medical clearance for DN from medical doctor.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of British Columbia: lead

Study Officials

• Michael Koehle, MD, PhD

  University of British Columbia

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Model Details: Repeated measures design with pre-post measures

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 7, 2022
• First Posted: September 14, 2022
• Study Start: December 31, 2024
• Primary Completion: September 1, 2025
• Study Completion: December 1, 2025
• Last Updated: December 13, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-12

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share