JOSPT Names 2020 Award Recipients

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Physical Therapy
• Pain Management

Background:

• Chronic neck pain is a prevalent condition impacting quality of life.
• Current management strategies include physical therapy and interventions like dry needling.
• The efficacy of combining dry needling with guideline-based physical therapy requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the added benefit of dry needling when combined with guideline-based physical therapy for chronic neck pain.
• To compare the effectiveness of this combined approach against guideline-based physical therapy alone.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial was conducted.
• Participants with chronic neck pain were assigned to either the combined intervention group or the guideline-based physical therapy group.
• Outcomes were assessed using validated pain and function scales.

Main Results:

• The study found no statistically significant difference in pain reduction or functional improvement between the combined dry needling and physical therapy group and the physical therapy alone group.
• Both groups showed improvements, but the addition of dry needling did not enhance the outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Combining dry needling with guideline-based physical therapy does not provide additional benefits for managing chronic neck pain compared to guideline-based physical therapy alone.
• Clinicians should consider these findings when developing treatment plans for patients with chronic neck pain.