ArticleInternational journal of sports physical therapy2021
Validity of a Sham Dry Needling Technique on a Healthy Population.
Article in International journal of sports physical therapy, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of dry needling combined with exercise on knee osteoarthritis at 6 month follow up a randomized clinical trial.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Design of dry-needling and acupuncture sham devices: an illustrative review.Journal of physical therapy science · 2025Review
- Qualitative ultrasonography scale of the intensity of local twitch response during dry needling and its association with modified joint range of motion: a cross-sectional study.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundVarious methods of sham procedures have been used in controlled trials evaluating dry needling efficacy although few have performed validation studies of the sham procedure. HYPOTHESIS/PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the validity of a sham dry needling technique on healthy, active subjects. STUDY
designValidation study.
methodsRunners capable of completing a half-marathon or marathon race and were randomized to receive true (using an introducer and needle) or sham (using an introducer and fixed, blunted needle) dry needling. Blinded subjects were asked to identify if they received sham or true dry needling following the procedure. Proportions of those who correctly identified their needling were also examined on the basis of past experience of receiving dry needling.
resultsFifty-three participants were included in this study, with 25 receiving the true dry needling procedure and 28 receiving the sham. Of those who had received dry needling in the past (n = 16), 11 (68.8%) correctly identified their respective groups. For those who had not previously received dry needling (n = 37), 13 (35.1%) accurately identified their group. Most importantly, 94.1% of dry needling-naïve participants were unable to identify they received the sham procedure (p < 0.001).
conclusionsThis study shows that a fixed needle in an introducer tube is a simple, inexpensive, effective sham procedure in patients who have never received dry needling before. This technique may be useful for randomized controlled trials in the future. LEVELS OF EVIDENCE: 2.
Indexed as
Identifiers
33604134PMC7872448W3127433890What 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.