Trial reportInternational journal of environmental research and public health2021
Immediate Effects of Dry Needling on the Autonomic Nervous System and Mechanical Hyperalgesia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Trial report in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 17 citations in OpenAlex.
- Immediate and Short-Term Effects of Nature-Based Immersive Virtual Reality During Dry Needling: A Single-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Immunomodulatory Effects of Acupuncture on Inflammatory Markers in Patients with Musculoskeletal Pain: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.Muscles (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Effect of dry needling therapy on hip range of motion as a component of functional performance in patients with chronic low back pain: a randomized clinical trial.Reumatologia · 2026Article
- Physiological correlates and predictors of vasovagal responses following dry needling in myofascial pain syndrome: a controlled observational study.Therapeutic advances in musculoskeletal disease · 2026Article
- Article
- Effect of Mirror Therapy on Post-Needling Pain Following Deep Dry Needling of Myofascial Trigger Point in Lateral Elbow Pain: Prospective Controlled Pilot Trial.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Efficacy comparison between acupuncture and other modalities in the treatment of rotator cuff diseases: meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.American journal of translational research · 2024Review
- Electroacupuncture Zusanli (ST36) Relieves Somatic Pain in Colitis Rats by Inhibiting Dorsal Root Ganglion Sympathetic-Sensory Coupling and Neurogenic Inflammation.Neural plasticity · 2023Article
- Immediate Effects of Dry Needling on Central Pain Processing and Skin Conductance in Patients with Chronic Nonspecific Neck Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of clinical medicine · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDry 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.
methodsSixty-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.
resultsIn 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) (
conclusionsThis work appears to indicate that dry needling produces an immediate activation in the sympathetic nervous system, improving local and distant mechanical hyperalgesia.
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