Effectiveness of Dry Needling on Reducing Pain, Increasing Range of Motion of the Neck, and Increasing Craniovertebral Angle in Obese Patients with Cervical Myofascial Pain Syndrome

Introduction: Obese patients often experience neck pain due to cervical myofascial pain syndrome.Dry needling is one of method to treat myofascial pain syndrome. Methods: This study was a single-blind randomized controlled trial. Participants aged 18- 59 year with neck pain > 3 months caused by myofascial pain syndrome in the neck region. Patients were randomized into the dry needling group (n=16 subjects) and the control group (n=16 subjects). The dry needling group received dry needling therapy once a week for 4 weeks and exercise therapy three times a week for 4 weeks. The control group received exercise therapy only three times a week for 4 weeks. Results: Participants had an average age of 41.4±11.2 years. Both groups experienced significant improvement in NRS, cervical ROM, and CVA between the pre-treatment assessment and the fourth week evaluation (p<0.05). The dry needling group experienced more significant improvements in NRS, cervical extension ROM, and CVA compared to the control group at the fourth week evaluation (p<0.05). Conclusion: Dry needling combined with exercise or exercise therapy alone is effective in improving NRS, cervical ROM, and CVA in obese patients with cervical myofascial pain syndrome. However, dry needling combine with exercise therapy is superior to exercise therapy alone. Keywords : Dry Needling, Obesity, Pain, Range of Motion in the Joint, Craniovertebral Angle, Myofascial Neck Pain Syndrome