Gildir Sila, Tüzün Emine Handan, Eroğlu Goncagül, Eker Levent
Eastern Mediterranean University Health Sciences Faculty, Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Famagusta, Northern Cyprus.
Private Maltepe Physiotherapy Center, Çankaya, Ankara.
Medicine (Baltimore). 2019 Feb;98(8):e14520. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000014520.
In this randomized, double-blind, parallel-group trial, we aimed to explore the effectiveness of trigger point dry needling in patients with chronic tension-type headache in reducing headache frequency, intensity and duration, and improvement of health-related quality of life.
The 168 patients in 2 neurology clinics with chronic tension-type headache. The participants were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups for dry needling or sham dry needling, delivered in 3 sessions a week for 2 weeks. The 160 patients fulfilled the study requirements. The dry needling was applied in active trigger points located in the musculature of the head and the neck. The patients received dry needling using sterile stainless-steel acupuncture needles of 0.25 × 40 mm and 0.25 × 25 mm dimensions. The sham dry needling procedure was applied into the adipose tissue located at any area where an active trigger point was absent. The primary outcome measurement was the headache intensity. Secondary outcomes were frequency and duration of headache, and quality of life, assessed by the Short Form-36. All outcomes were measured at baseline, at the end of 2-week, and 1-month follow-up period.
In the dry needling group, intensity, frequency and duration of headache, and the scores of Short Form-36 subscales were significantly improved after treatment (P < .05). In the dry needling group, all the effect sizes for headache variables were large.
The results of this clinical trial suggest that trigger point dry needling in patients with chronic tension-type headache is effective and safe in reducing headache intensity, frequency and duration, and increasing health-related quality of life.
Clinical Trials NCT03500861.
在这项随机、双盲、平行组试验中，我们旨在探讨触发点针刺疗法对慢性紧张型头痛患者减少头痛频率、强度和持续时间以及改善健康相关生活质量的有效性。
2家神经科诊所的168例慢性紧张型头痛患者。参与者被随机分配到两个治疗组之一，接受针刺或假针刺治疗，每周3次，共2周。160例患者符合研究要求。针刺应用于头颈部肌肉组织中的活跃触发点。患者使用0.25×40mm和0.25×25mm尺寸的无菌不锈钢针灸针进行针刺。假针刺程序应用于无活跃触发点区域的脂肪组织。主要结局指标是头痛强度。次要结局指标是头痛频率和持续时间以及生活质量，通过简明健康状况调查量表（Short Form-36）进行评估。所有结局指标均在基线、2周结束时和1个月随访期进行测量。
在针刺组中，治疗后头痛强度、频率和持续时间以及简明健康状况调查量表各子量表得分均有显著改善（P<0.05）。在针刺组中，头痛变量的所有效应量都很大。
这项临床试验结果表明，触发点针刺疗法对慢性紧张型头痛患者在降低头痛强度、频率和持续时间以及提高健康相关生活质量方面是有效且安全的。
临床试验编号NCT03500861。
