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Dry Needling for Management of Pain in the Upper Quarter and Craniofacial Region

  • Myofascial Pain (R Gerwin, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Dry needling is a therapeutic intervention that has been growing in popularity. It is primarily used with patients that have pain of myofascial origin. This review provides background about dry needling, myofascial pain, and craniofacial pain. We summarize the evidence regarding the effectiveness of dry needling. For patients with upper quarter myofascial pain, a 2013 systematic review and meta-analysis of 12 randomized controlled studies reported that dry needling is effective in reducing pain (especially immediately after treatment) in patients with upper quarter pain. There have been fewer studies of patients with craniofacial pain and myofascial pain in other regions, but most of these studies report findings to suggest the dry needling may be helpful in reducing pain and improving other pain related variables such as the pain pressure threshold. More rigorous randomized controlled trials are clearly needed to more fully elucidate the effectiveness of dry needling.

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Abbreviations

MTrP:

myofascial trigger point

DN:

dry needling

CFP:

craniofacial pain

TMJ:

temporomandibular joint

TMD:

temporomandibular joint disorder

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Conflict of Interest

Dr. David M. Kietrys, Dr. Kerstin Palombaro, and Dr. Jeffrey S. Mannheimer each declare no potential conflicts of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Rehabilitation and Movement Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, School of Health Related Professions, Stratford, NJ, USA

    David M. Kietrys

  2. Institute of Physical Therapy Education, Widener University, Chester, PA, USA

    Kerstin M. Palombaro

  3. Delaware Valley Physical Therapy Associates, Lawrenceville, NJ, USA

    Jeffrey S. Mannheimer

  4. Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Jeffrey S. Mannheimer

Authors
  1. David M. Kietrys
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  2. Kerstin M. Palombaro
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  3. Jeffrey S. Mannheimer
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to David M. Kietrys.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Myofascial Pain

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Kietrys, D.M., Palombaro, K.M. & Mannheimer, J.S. Dry Needling for Management of Pain in the Upper Quarter and Craniofacial Region. Curr Pain Headache Rep 18, 437 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-014-0437-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-014-0437-0

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