Exercise and Dry Needling Treatment Combination in Nocturnal Calf Cramps

Kars State Hospital

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Nocturnal Leg Cramps; Myofascial Pain Syndrome

Treatments: Other: Stretching exercise; Other: Dry needling

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04789811

Biruni University

Details and patient eligibility

About

The Investigators aim to evaluate the effectiveness of dry needling treatment in addition to stretching exercises on cramp duration, cramp intensity, cramp frequency, sleep quality, and sensitivity of myofascial trigger points in patients with nocturnal calf cramp.

Full description

Nocturnal leg cramps are sudden, involuntary, painful contractions of the lower extremity in the nighttime, most often in the calf muscles, that gradually lessens. Its etiology is not clear. It can be seen in electrolyte disturbances, drug side effects, neuromuscular diseases, diabetes mellitus, peripheral vascular pathologies. It has been mentioned in the literature that myofascial trigger points in the gastrocnemius muscle may be associated with nocturnal calf cramps. Our aim in this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the combination of stretching exercises and dry needling therapy on cramp duration, cramp intensity, cramp frequency, sleep quality, and algometer measurement in patients with nocturnal calf cramps and whose had myofascial trigger point in the gastrocnemius muscle.

Enrollment: 50 estimated patients

Sex

Ages: 18 to 50 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Patients with only nocturnal calf cramp
• Patients with a trigger point in the unilateral gastrocnemius muscle
• Being between the ages of 18-50

Exclusion criteria

• Patients using diuretics or hypertension medications that may trigger cramping
• Those with a chronic disease history
• Those diagnosed with spinal stenosis
• Electrolyte disturbance in laboratory tests

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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50 participants in 2 patient groups

Exercise Group

Experimental group

Description:

It describes the exercise protocol that the patients will do.

Treatment:

Other: Stretching exercise

Exercise plus Dry Needling Group

Experimental group

Description:

It describes the exercise protocol to be performed by the patients and the methodology of dry needling to be applied.

Treatment:

Other: Dry needling

Other: Stretching exercise