Original Article
The Influence of Dry Needling of the Trapezius Muscle on Muscle Blood Flow and Oxygenation

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmpt.2012.10.005Get rights and content

Abstract

Objective

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of dry needling on the blood flow and oxygen saturation of the trapezius muscle.

Methods

Twenty healthy participants participated in this study. One single dry needling procedure was performed in the right upper trapezius, at a point located midway between the acromion edge and the seventh cervical vertebrae. Using the oxygen to see device, blood flow and oxygen saturation were evaluated at the treated point and 3 distant points (similar point in the left upper trapezius and 30 mm laterally from this midpoint). Measurements were taken at baseline and in the recovery period (0, 5, and 15 minutes posttreatment).

Results

After removal of the needle, the blood flow and oxygen saturation increased significantly from the pretreatment level in the treated point (P ≤ .001), and these values remained high throughout the 15-minute recovery period. There were only minor changes in the distant points.

Conclusions

These results suggest that dry needling enhances the blood flow in the stimulated region of the trapezius muscle but not in a distant region used in this study.

Section snippets

Participants

Twenty right-handed healthy female office workers (mean age, 29.2 ± 6.9 years) working full time and performing at least 4 hours of computer work daily participated in this study. They were selected provided that they had not experienced pain or discomfort for more than 8 days during the last year in the neck/shoulder region with intensity of 2 or above. Participants with past traumatic injuries or surgical interventions in their neck or upper limb regions were excluded. All participants gave

Stability of the Measurement

The ICC was 0.95 and 0.89 for So2 and blood flow, respectively. Both SEM and SDD are listed in Table 1.

Numerical Rating Scale

The NRS score increased significantly from pretreatment to post1 (P ≤ .001) to recover to baseline measures at post2 and post3 (P ≤ .001) (Fig 2).

Blood Flow

The analysis of variance yielded a significant interaction effect time × measurement point (F = 54.481, P < .001). There was a significant difference in blood flow between the measurement points at baseline: blood flow in both measurement points on

Discussion

This study demonstrated a local increase in both blood flow and oxygen saturation due to a single dry needling intervention in healthy office workers, which did not return to the pretreatment level until 15 minutes after removal of the needle.

The measurements of both So2 and blood flow were highly reliable, with ICCs of at least 0.89. There was no increase in muscle blood flow during the first 5 minutes at baseline, indicating no environment-induced influences on circulation parameters in this

Limitations

A limitation of this study is that only healthy participants were evaluated, so it is not known whether patients would react in a similar manner. It is thought that dry needling of trigger points in patients with neck pain induced by continuous low-repetition tasks would have a direct influence on the ongoing energy crisis: enhancing oxygen saturation and blood flow in a subset of muscle fibers may break the chain in this vicious circle. However, Sandberg et al15 demonstrated that patients with

Conclusion

One session of needle stimulation induced an increase in blood flow and oxygen saturation in the trapezius muscle in healthy participants, and these values remained high throughout the 15-minute recovery period. There were no changes in regions distant to the needle site. Further studies in participants with myofascial pain and in specific trigger points are required.

Funding Sources and Potential Conflicts of Interest

Barbara Cagnie is supported by the Research Foundation–Flanders. No conflicts of interest were reported for this study.

Practical Applications

  • •

    Blood flow and oxygen saturation increased significantly after a single dry needling intervention, and these values remained high throughout the 15-minute recovery period.

  • •

    There were only minor changes in the measurement points at the upper trapezius on the other side.

  • •

    These results suggest that dry needling enhances the blood flow in the stimulated region of the trapezius muscle

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