The contribution of dry needling and Kinesio taping to classic physical therapy in myofascial pain syndrome

Abstract

Introduction. This study aimed to investigate the contribution of dry needling and Kinesio taping to classic physical therapy applied in myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) and to determine whether either method was superior. Methods. This prospective randomized controlled study included 30 patients with MPS with at least 1 active trigger point in the upper trapezius. They were randomly divided into 3 equal groups: classic therapy group (ultrasound + Hot Pack + transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation + massage + exercise), classic therapy + dry needling group, and classic therapy + Kinesio taping group. All groups received 10 sessions (3 sessions/week). Patients were evaluated at baseline and at the end of therapy. Visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to assess neck pain and 36-item Short Form Survey (SF-36) served to assess quality of life. Results. At 4 weeks of follow-up, there was a statistically significant decrease in VAS scores in each group compared with baseline (p < 0.05) and no significant difference in outcomes between the groups (p > 0.05). in the SF-36 assessment, a significant improvement was observed in the physical function, physical role, pain, and general state of health in all groups compared with baseline (p < 0.05). All groups were similar in terms of SF-36 improvement (p > 0.05). Conclusions. VAS and SF-36 results improved in all treatment groups. We suggest that all these methods, including classic therapy, Kinesio taping, and dry needling should be applied to reduce pain and improve quality of life in MPS patients. Further research with larger samples is warranted to determine optimal treatment duration in order to obtain long-term efficacy.