Trial reportMedicine2019
A randomized trial of trigger point dry needling versus sham needling for chronic tension-type headache.
Trial report in Medicine, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 8 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 26 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
A Randomized Trial of Trigger Point Dry Needling Versus Sham Needling for Chronic Tension-Type Headache
Effectiveness of Dry Needling on Pain, Functional Disability, Postural Control and Pain Pressure Threshold in Patients With Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain: A Double-Blind Randomised Controlled Trial
Dry Needling of the Trigeminal Nerve Innervation Field for Cervicogenic Eadache: A Pilot Study
To Compare the Effect of Dry Needling Versus Lumbar Spine Mobilization on Symptoms in Patients With Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain
Superficial Dry Needling of the Trigeminal Nerve Innervation Sensory Field for Cervicogenic Headache: a Randomized Clinical Trial
Effectiveness of Dry Needling for Suboccipital, Levator Scapula, Upper Trapezius, Masseter, Sternocleidomastoid, Splenius Capitis and Cervicis, Temporalis and Frontalis Muscles on Pain and Active Craniocervical Range of Motion in People With Episodic Tension-type Headache
Comparing the Effectiveness of Dry Needling and Ischemic Compression Technique on Muscle Thickness and Health Related Quality of Life in Trigger Point Tension Type Headache
Efficacy of a Multimodal Physiotherapy Program and Mobile-App Guided Meditation in Adults With Frequent or Chronic Tension-Type Headache: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 72 citations in OpenAlex.
- The efficacy of acupuncture for tension-type headache: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Journal of oral & facial pain and headache · 2025Pooled it
- Acupuncture versus tricyclic antidepressants in the prophylactic treatment of tension-type headaches: an indirect treatment comparison meta-analysis.The journal of headache and pain · 2024Pooled it
- Efficacy of acupuncture for tension-type headache prophylaxis: systematic review and meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis.Journal of neurology · 2023Pooled it
- Physical Therapy in Tension-Type Headache: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Pooled it
- [The indirect costs of tension type headache. A systematic literature review].Atencion primaria · 2022Pooled it
- Dry needling as an adjunct treatment to multimodal rehabilitation protocol following rotator cuff repair surgery: a preliminary, randomized sham-controlled trial.Chiropractic & manual therapies · 2024Trial
- The consistency of reporting adverse events associated with dry needling: a narrative review.The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association · 2026Article
- Dry Needling for Tension-Type Headache: A Scoping Review on Intervention Procedures, Muscle Targets, and Outcomes.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Expert Consensus on Dry Needling Practices for Headache: An International Delphi Study Protocol.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- The Effect of Dry Needling Compared to Lumbar Spine Mobilization on Functional Disability in Patients with Nonspecific Chronic Low Back Pain: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.Advanced biomedical research · 2025Article
- Trigger Point Therapy Techniques as an Effective Unconventional Method of Treating Tension Headaches: A Systematic Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Tension-Type Headache Management: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis of Complementary and Alternative Medicine.Pain and therapy · 2024Review
- Dry needling in the management of chronic tension-type headache associated with levator scapulae syndrome: A case report.Clinical case reports · 2024Article
- Effects of Dry Needling on Active Myofascial Trigger Points and Pain Intensity in Tension-Type Headache: A Randomized Controlled Study.Journal of personalized medicine · 2024Article
- Dry needling in a multimodal rehabilitation protocol following rotator cuff repair surgery: study protocol for a double-blinded randomized sham-controlled trial.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2023Article
- The Impact of Clinical Pilates Exercises on Tension-Type Headaches: A Case Series.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Short-Term Effects of Dry Needling with a Standard Exercise Program on Pain and Quality of Life in Patients with Chronic Mechanical Neck Pain.Journal of clinical medicine · 2022Article
- The Role of the Autonomic Nervous System in Headache: Biomarkers and Treatment.Current pain and headache reports · 2022Review
- Dry Needling in Physical Therapy Treatment of Chronic Neck Pain: Systematic Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2022Review
- Localization of the Center of the Intramuscular Nerve Dense Region of the Suboccipital Muscles: An Anatomical Study.Frontiers in neurology · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIn this randomized, double-blind, parallel-group trial, we aimed to explore the effectiveness of trigger point dry needling in patients with chronic tension-type headache in reducing headache frequency, intensity and duration, and improvement of health-related quality of life.
methodsThe 168 patients in 2 neurology clinics with chronic tension-type headache. The participants were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups for dry needling or sham dry needling, delivered in 3 sessions a week for 2 weeks. The 160 patients fulfilled the study requirements. The dry needling was applied in active trigger points located in the musculature of the head and the neck. The patients received dry needling using sterile stainless-steel acupuncture needles of 0.25 × 40 mm and 0.25 × 25 mm dimensions. The sham dry needling procedure was applied into the adipose tissue located at any area where an active trigger point was absent. The primary outcome measurement was the headache intensity. Secondary outcomes were frequency and duration of headache, and quality of life, assessed by the Short Form-36. All outcomes were measured at baseline, at the end of 2-week, and 1-month follow-up period.
resultsIn the dry needling group, intensity, frequency and duration of headache, and the scores of Short Form-36 subscales were significantly improved after treatment (P < .05). In the dry needling group, all the effect sizes for headache variables were large.
conclusionsThe results of this clinical trial suggest that trigger point dry needling in patients with chronic tension-type headache is effective and safe in reducing headache intensity, frequency and duration, and increasing health-related quality of life.
trial registrationClinical Trials NCT03500861.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.