THERAPEUTIC OUTCOMES OF DRY NEEDLING COUPLED WITH INTRAMUSCULAR ELECTRIC STIMULATION IN PATIENTS WITH FIBROMYALGIA SYNDROME
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18623/rvd.v23.5962Palabras clave:
Dry Needling, Electrical Stimulation Therapy, Fatigue, Fibromyalgia, Pain MeasurementResumen
Objective: To determine whether dry needling combined with intramuscular electrical stimulation (DN+IMS) results in different effects on pain, pressure pain threshold, sleep quality, mood, and fatigue compared with dry needling (DN) alone in fibromyalgia. Methods: This assessor-blinded randomized controlled trial was conducted at a tertiary hospital in Pakistan. Seventy-eight adults with fibromyalgia (18–60 years) were randomized to DN+IMS (n=39) or DN alone (n=39). Both groups received weekly myofascial trigger point needling for 4 weeks and additionally received standard treatment; the DN+IMS group also received biphasic electrical stimulation (2–4 Hz, 20 min). Outcomes were assessed at baseline and weeks 2, 4, and 8 using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (primary outcome), pressure pain threshold, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory-20. Intention-to-treat analyses used multiple imputation by chained equations (M=50) and linear mixed models. Results: DN+IMS showed larger pain reductions at weeks 2–8 (β −1.00 to −1.26; p≤0.020) and greater increases in pressure pain threshold during treatment (β 0.35–0.46; p<0.001). Sleep quality and mood improved at weeks 4 and 8 (p≤0.010), with fatigue improvements were selective and limited to specific domains/timepoints. Conclusions: Adding IMS to DN improved pain, sleep quality, and mood outcomes in fibromyalgia.
Citas
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