Acupuncture in medicine : journal of the British Medical Acupuncture Society
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Efficacy of dry needling as an adjunct to manual therapy for patients with chronic mechanical neck pain: a randomised clinical trial.
Chronic mechanical neck pain is associated with musculoskeletal tissue alterations. Active trigger points in the trapezius and levator scapulae muscles are common in patients with chronic mechanical neck pain. In this study, we compared the effect of dry needling (DN) combined with manual therapy (MT) to sham dry needling (SDN) combined with MT on pain, pain pressure threshold, cervical range of motion and neck disability in patients with chronic mechanical neck pain. ⋯ 1b.
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The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on recovery from acute sciatic nerve crush injury and the expression of pS6 in rats. ⋯ This study indicated that EA may activate the mTOR signalling pathway to enhance expression of pS6 and facilitate recovery following sciatic nerve crush injury.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Post-needling soreness and trigger point dry needling for hemiplegic shoulder pain following stroke.
To determine the presence of post-needling induced pain in subjects who had suffered a stroke and received trigger point (TrP) dry needling (DN), and to investigate the effects of including TrP-DN into a rehabilitation program for shoulder pain in this population. ⋯ This trial found that 50% of stroke patients receiving DN experienced post-needling induced pain, a side effect that almost disappeared 72 h after the intervention without any additional therapeutic action. In addition, the inclusion of TrP-DN into a rehabilitation session was effective at decreasing shoulder pain in these patients.
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Fibromyalgia (FM) is a syndrome involving chronic pain, fatigue, sleep difficulties, morning stiffness and muscle cramping lasting longer than 3 months. The epidemiological prevalence is approximately 3-5% in women and increases with age. Antagonism of acid-sensing ion channel 3 (ASIC3) reportedly attenuates acid saline-induced FM pain in mice. ⋯ Our data reveal that both EA and ASIC3 blockade significantly reduce FM pain in mice via the ASIC3, Nav1.7 and Nav1.8 signalling pathways. Moreover, our findings support the potential clinical use of EA for the treatment of FM pain.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Self-administered acupressure for knee osteoarthritis in middle-aged and older adults: a pilot randomized controlled trial.
To test the acceptability and feasibility of self-administered acupressure as an intervention for knee pain among middle-aged and older adults with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). ⋯ A two-session self-administered acupressure training was acceptable to and feasible in participants with KOA. The data generated allowed for calculation of a sample size for a definitive randomized controlled trial (RCT) to confirm whether self-acupressure is effective for pain management in KOA. Furthermore trials with adequate power and longer follow-up periods are warranted.