title: Comparison of the Efficacy of Dry Needling and High-Power Pain Threshold Ultrasound Therapy with Clinical Status and Sonoelastography in Myofascial Pain Syndrome.
abstract: The aim of this study was to compare the therapeutic efficacy of high-power pain threshold (HPPT) ultrasound therapy applied to the trigger points and dry needling (DN) in myofascial pain syndrome.
  
  
  
  Sixty-one patients were randomly assigned to an HPPT (n = 30) and dry needling (n = 31) groups. The primary outcome measures were the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Neck Pain and Disability Scale (NPDS), both at 1 week and 4 weeks after treatment. The secondary outcome measures were the number of painful trigger points, range of the tragus-acromioclavicular joint, the Short Form-36, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and sonoelastographic tests after a 1-week treatment.
  
  
  
  More improvement was seen in anxiety in the HPPT group (P < 0.05). However, no significant differences were found between the groups with regard to other parameters (P > 0.05). A decrease in tissue stiffness was only seen in the HPPT group (P < 0.05). Significant posttreatment improvements were seen on all clinical scales in both groups (P < 0.05). After a treatment period of 4 weeks, a significant improvement was also observed on the visual analog scale and NPDS (P < 0.05).
  
  
  
  Our study favors the efficacy of both treatment methods in myofascial pain syndrome. Although a significant decrease was shown in tissue stiffness with HPPT, neither of these treatments had an apparent superiority.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harran University Medical School, Sanliurfa, Turkey (RA, AY, AB, AT); Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Nusaybin State Hospital, Mardin, Turkey (RA); Department of Radiology, Harran University Medical School, Sanliurfa, Turkey (EB, DSD, NK, NB); and Department of Radiology, Sanliurfa Mehmet Akif Inan Training and Research Hospital, Sanliurfa, Turkey (NK).
authors.forename: Rifat
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aridici
authors.forename: Alparslan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yetisgin
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boyaci
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tutoglu
authors.forename: Erol
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bozdogan
authors.forename: Dilek
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sen Dokumaci
authors.forename: Nihat
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kilicaslan
authors.forename: Nurefsan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Boyaci
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D000328:Adult; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009209:Myofascial Pain Syndromes / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D019547:Neck Pain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017288:Pain Threshold; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D061028:Trigger Points; D014464:Ultrasonic Therapy / Q000379:methods*