Comparison of Dry Needling and Manual Therapy for Mechanical Neck Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Impact of Manual Techniques on Mechanical Neck Pain
Keywords:
Disability, Manual Therapy, Pain, Range of MotionAbstract
Background: Mechanical neck pain has been listed as one of the most common musculoskeletal conditions, with pain complaints and stiffness in the neck region, which results from poor posture and muscular strain or the repetition of movements. Manual therapy and dry needling top the list among the different intervention options and modalities.
Methodology: Participants were divided into two groups using a simple random sampling envelope method. One group received dry needling sessions aimed at the cervical area trigger points. In contrast, the other group received manual therapy, including mobilization or manipulation of the cervical spine for 3 sessions/week for 4 weeks. Professionals administered interventions in a standardized protocol environment. Outcome measures included pain intensity, range of neck motion and functional disability, assessed at baseline and post-treatment.
Results: The preliminary interpretation showed no statistically significant differences in baseline characteristics between the two groups. Following intervention, the dry needling and manual therapy groups demonstrated significant improvements (p<0.05) in pain intensity, neck range of motion, and functional disability compared to baseline. However, the two groups had no significant differences (p>0.05) regarding treatment outcomes.
Conclusion: The study demonstrated that dry needling and manual therapy are effective interventions for reducing pain and improving function in patients with mechanical neck pain. While both modalities yielded positive outcomes, no notable differences were observed.
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Copyright (c) 2024 Aneek Kayani, Shafaq Aziz Kiani, Farwa Azmat, Hanan Azfar , Saman Jahangir, Muslim Khan
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