Immediate Effects of Dry Needling on the Autonomic Nervous System and Mechanical Hyperalgesia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Irene Lázaro-Navas, Cristina Lorenzo-Sánchez-Aguilera, Daniel Pecos-Martín, Jose Jesús Jiménez-Rejano, Marcos Jose Navarro-Santana, Josué Fernández-Carnero and Tomás Gallego-Izquierdo
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Irene Lázaro-Navas: Department of Physical Therapy, University Hospital Ramón y Cajal, 28034 Madrid, Spain
Cristina Lorenzo-Sánchez-Aguilera: University of Alcalá, Instituto de Fisioterapia y Dolor, 28805 Madrid, Spain
Daniel Pecos-Martín: University of Alcalá, Instituto de Fisioterapia y Dolor, 28805 Madrid, Spain
Jose Jesús Jiménez-Rejano: Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Podology, University of Sevilla, 41009 Sevilla, Spain
Marcos Jose Navarro-Santana: Rehabilitation San Fernando, Alcalá de Henares, 28801 Madrid, Spain
Josué Fernández-Carnero: Department of Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine, Rey Juan Carlos University, 28922 Madrid, Spain
Tomás Gallego-Izquierdo: University of Alcalá, Instituto de Fisioterapia y Dolor, 28805 Madrid, Spain

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 11, 1-18

Abstract: Background: Dry needling (DN) is often used for the treatment of muscle pain among physiotherapists. However, little is known about the mechanisms of action by which its effects are generated. The aim of this randomized controlled trial was to determine if the use of DN in healthy subjects activates the sympathetic nervous system, thus resulting in a decrease in pain caused by stress. Methods: Sixty-five healthy volunteer subjects were recruited from the University of Alcala, Madrid, Spain, with an age of 27.78 (SD = 8.41) years. The participants were randomly assigned to participate in a group with deep DN in the adductor pollicis muscle or a placebo needling group. The autonomic nervous system was evaluated, in addition to local and remote mechanical hyperalgesia. Results: In a comparison of the moment at which the needling intervention was carried out with the baseline, the heart rate of the dry needling group significantly increased by 20.60% (SE = 2.88), whereas that of the placebo group increased by 5.33% (SE = 2.32) ( p = 0.001, d = 1.02). The pressure pain threshold showed significant differences between both groups, being significantly higher in the needling group (adductor muscle p = 0.001; d = 0.85; anterior tibialis muscle p = 0.022, d = 0.58). Conclusions: This work appears to indicate that dry needling produces an immediate activation in the sympathetic nervous system, improving local and distant mechanical hyperalgesia.

Keywords: dry needling; autonomic nervous system; physiological effects; cortisol; pain physiology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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