Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40041055›Full record

ReviewSurgical neurology international2025

Dry needling for mechanical neck pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Abdulsalam M Aleid, Abdulmajeed Abdulaziz Aljabr, Saud Nayef Aldanyowi, Hasan Ali AlAidarous, Zainab Mohammed Aleid, Abdulaziz S Alharthi, Mutlaq Naheitan Alsubaie, Lama Ibrahim AlOraini, Abdulrahman Rashed Almoslem, Abbas Al Mutair

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Surgical neurology international, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Abdulsalam M AleidDepartment of Surgery, Medical College, King Faisal University, Hofuf, Ahsa, Saudi Arabia.
Abdulmajeed Abdulaziz AljabrCollege of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz for Health Science, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Saud Nayef AldanyowiDepartment of Surgery-Orthopedic, King Faisal University, Hofuf, Ahsa, Saudi Arabia.
Hasan Ali AlAidarousDepartment of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Albaha University, Albaha, Saudi Arabia.
Zainab Mohammed AleidDepartment of Surgery, Medical College, King Faisal University, Hofuf, Ahsa, Saudi Arabia.
Abdulaziz S AlharthiDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Alhada Armed Military Hospital, Taif, Saudi Arabia.
Mutlaq Naheitan AlsubaieDepartment of Orthopedic, National Guard Hospital, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia.
Lama Ibrahim AlOrainiDepartment of Orthopedic, King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Buraidah, Alqsssim, Saudi Arabia.
Abdulrahman Rashed AlmoslemDepartment of Surgery, King Faisal University, Hofuf, Ahsa, Saudi Arabia.
Abbas Al MutairResearch Center, Almoosa Health Group, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Dry needling (DN) has emerged as a potential treatment for mechanical neck pain, but the evidence remains inconclusive. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of DN in improving pain and functionality in patients with chronic mechanical neck pain. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Databases, including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Google Scholar, were searched from December 2013 to January 2024. Studies involving adult participants with chronic mechanical neck pain treated with DN were included in the study. The primary outcomes were pain pressure threshold (PPT), Neck Disability Index (NDI), and cervical range of motion. Statistical analysis used a random-effect model. Results: Nine RCTs with a total of 540 participants were included in the study. DN significantly improved the PPT with an MD of 0.52 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.39-0.65; Conclusion: DN appears effective in short-term pain relief and functional outcomes for patients with mechanical neck pain but shows limited impact on the cervical range of motion.

Indexed as

Dry needlingMechanical neck painMeta-analysisPain reliefRandomized clinical trialsRandomized controlled trials

Identifiers

PMID40041055
PMCPMC11878734

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.