Efficacy of Dry Needling in the Spasticity Post-stroke (DNSpasticity)

University of Malaga

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Spasticity, Muscle

Treatments: Other: Standard physiotherapy rehabilitation and dry needling; Other: Standard physiotherapy rehabilitation

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04435561

UMADryNeed

Details and patient eligibility

About

Stroke is a serious clinical condition and one of the leading causes of long-term disability in the world. One of the most serious complications of this condition is spasticity. Recently, dry needling has commented to be used as a treatment in muscle spasticity of chronic patients after a stroke, producing improvements in clinical conditions.

This study evaluates the effectiveness of dry needling technique in the spasticity of the hemiparetic limbs in chronic post-stroke patients. The Modified Ashworth Scale is used to measure the spasticity´s improvement after the procedure.

Enrollment: 40 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 70 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• First hemiplegic ischemic stroke.
• Chronic stroke (stroke at least 6 months before the trial).
• Present a level of spasticity equal or greater than 1 according to the Modified Asworth Scale.
• Preserve cognitive capacity.
• Being able to understand and follow simple instructions.
• Not afraid of needles.

Exclusion criteria

• Recurrent stroke.
• Subjects with cognitive disorders.
• Presenting any medical contraindication for the dry needling procedure or problems with coagulation or epilepsy.
• Alteration of sensitivity.
• Receives nerve block or botulinum toxin treatments in a period equal or less than 6 months, since ir can modify the results.
• Hemorrhagic stroke.
• Subjects who do not consent to participate in the study.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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40 participants in 2 patient groups

Standard physiotherapy rehabilitation and dry needling

Experimental group

Description:

In addition to the usual therapy, the experimental group will receive the application of dry needling technique in the hemiparetic limbs. Dry needling intervention will take place over a period of one and a half months (6 weeks), with a total of 6 sessions. Each session will be performed once a week, where a single puncture will be made in each muscle to be treated, using Hong´s technique and lasting 60 seconds per muscle (or until the muscle is release). The muscles that will receive dry needling are the following ones: * Upper limb: infraspinatus, teres minor, pectoralis major, deltoid. * Lower limb: gastrocnemius, soleus and anterior tibial muscles.

Treatment:

Other: Standard physiotherapy rehabilitation and dry needling

Standard physiotherapy rehabilitation

Other group

Description:

The control group will receive the usual therapy and treatment.

Treatment:

Other: Standard physiotherapy rehabilitation