Exploring Short-term Outcomes of Dry Needling in Knee Osteoarthritis Patients: A Prospective Study

Introduction: Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee is one of the most encountered musculoskeletal and rheumatologic diseases in the Outpatient Department of Orthopaedics. Around 250 million people worldwide suffer from OA knee. There is evidence that physiotherapy has been shown to be highly effective in treating OA knee. Dry Needling (DN) uses a similar needle to those used in acupuncture, but the application of the technique is different. In regard to DN, within the muscle, the needle is moved up and down exactly at the myofascial trigger points. Aim: To assess the short-term efficacy of DN in patients with knee OA. Materials and Methods: The present prospective study was conducted in the department of Physiotherapy attached to RL Jalappa Hospital and Research Centre in Kolar, Karnataka, India for a duration of six months from December 2022 to May 2023. This study included 40 patients who met the specified inclusion criteria and were closely monitored over a span of three and a half weeks, with an intervention of CZ Hong’s Fast in and Fast out needling technique subsequent to the identification of trigger points in the affected limb. At the end of three and a half weeks, the collected data on quantitative measure for Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Knee Range of Motion (ROM), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC), Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) was tested for normality conditions, and mean±SD was used to present the data. The difference in pre and post mean were tested by paired t-test, p-value <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: At the end of 10 sessions of DN, there was a significant reduction in the Pain Pressure Threshold (PPT) (p-value=0.001), VAS score, (p-value=0.001), increase in Knee ROM, (p-value=0.001) and reduction in the disability scores of WOMAC (p-value=0.001) and KOOS scores (p-value=0.001.) Conclusion: The findings of the present study suggested that the PPT, WOMAC score and knee flexion range showed clinically relevant improvement for patients who underwent DN for 10 sessions added to therapeutic exercise program for older adults. However, these results should be interpreted with caution because of the small sample size and short follow-up.Introduction: Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee is one of the most encountered musculoskeletal and rheumatologic diseases in the Outpatient Department of Orthopaedics. Around 250 million people worldwide suffer from OA knee. There is evidence that physiotherapy has been shown to be highly effective in treating OA knee. Dry Needling (DN) uses a similar needle to those used in acupuncture, but the application of the technique is different. In regard to DN, within the muscle, the needle is moved up and down exactly at the myofascial trigger points. Aim: To assess the short-term efficacy of DN in patients with knee OA. Materials and Methods: The present prospective study was conducted in the department of Physiotherapy attached to RL Jalappa Hospital and Research Centre in Kolar, Karnataka, India for a duration of six months from December 2022 to May 2023. This study included 40 patients who met the specified inclusion criteria and were closely monitored over a span of three and a half weeks, with an intervention of CZ Hong’s Fast in and Fast out needling technique subsequent to the identification of trigger points in the affected limb. At the end of three and a half weeks, the collected data on quantitative measure for Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Knee Range of Motion (ROM), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC), Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) was tested for normality conditions, and mean±SD was used to present the data. The difference in pre and post mean were tested by paired t-test, p-value <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: At the end of 10 sessions of DN, there was a significant reduction in the Pain Pressure Threshold (PPT) (p-value=0.001), VAS score, (p-value=0.001), increase in Knee ROM, (p-value=0.001) and reduction in the disability scores of WOMAC (p-value=0.001) and KOOS scores (p-value=0.001.) Conclusion: The findings of the present study suggested that the PPT, WOMAC score and knee flexion range showed clinically relevant improvement for patients who underwent DN for 10 sessions added to therapeutic exercise program for older adults. However, these results should be interpreted with caution because of the small sample size and short follow-up.