title: A single group, pretest-posttest clinical trial for the effects of dry needling on wrist flexors spasticity after stroke.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Spasticity is a common complication after stroke. Dry needling (DN) is suggested as a novel method for treatment of muscle spasticity.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To explore the effects of DN on wrist flexors spasticity poststroke.
  
  
  METHODS
  A single group, pretest-posttest clinical trial was used. Twenty nine patients with stroke (16 male; mean age 54.3 years) were tested at baseline (T0), immediately after DN (T1), and one hour after DN (T2). DN was applied for flexor carpi radialis (FCR) and flexor carpi ulnaris on the affected arm for single session, one minute per muscle. The Modified Modified Ashworth Scale (MMAS), passive resistance force, wrist active and passive range of motion, Box and Block Test, and FCR H-reflex were outcome measures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant reductions in MMAS scores were seen both immediately after DN and at 1-hour follow-up (median 2 at T0 to 1 at T1 and T2). There were significant improvements in other measures between the baseline values at T0 and those recorded immediately after the DN at T1 or one hour later at T2.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests that DN reduced wrist flexors spasticity and alpha motor neuron excitability in patients with stroke, and improvements persisted for one hour after DN.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy, School of Rehabilitation, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Fakhari
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy, School of Rehabilitation, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.|Neuromusculoskeletal Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Noureddin Nakhostin
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Ansari
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy, School of Rehabilitation, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.|Neuromusculoskeletal Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Soofia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Naghdi
authors.affiliation: Neuromusculoskeletal Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.|Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Medical School, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Korosh
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mansouri
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy, School of Rehabilitation, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
authors.forename: Hojjat
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Radinmehr
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006181:H-Reflex / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D009128:Muscle Spasticity / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000187:drug effects; D009339:Needles; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities / Q000295:instrumentation*; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation / Q000379:methods*; D014953:Wrist; D014955:Wrist Joint / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Dry needling; H-reflex; spasticity; stroke