Trigger Points — Effects of Dry Needling on Stiffness in Latent Trigger Points
Citation(s)
Grabowski PJ, Slane LC, Thelen DG, Obermire T, Lee KS Evidence of Generalized Muscle Stiffness in the Presence of Latent Trigger Points Within Infraspinatus. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2018 Nov;99(11):2257-2262. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2018.03.024. Epub 2018 Apr 28.
Luan S, Zhu ZM, Ruan JL, Lin CN, Ke SJ, Xin WJ, Liu CC, Wu SL, Ma C Randomized Trial on Comparison of the Efficacy of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy and Dry Needling in Myofascial Trigger Points. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2019 Aug;98(8):677-684. doi: 10.1097/PHM.0000000000001173.
Maher RM, Hayes DM, Shinohara M Quantification of dry needling and posture effects on myofascial trigger points using ultrasound shear-wave elastography. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2013 Nov;94(11):2146-50. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2013.04.021. Epub 2013 May 14.
Interventional studies are often prospective and are specifically tailored to evaluate direct impacts of treatment or preventive measures on disease.
Observational studies are often retrospective and are used to assess potential causation in exposure-outcome relationships and therefore influence preventive methods.
Expanded access is a means by which manufacturers make investigational new drugs available, under certain circumstances, to treat a patient(s) with a serious disease or condition who cannot participate in a controlled clinical trial.
Clinical trials are conducted in a series of steps, called phases - each phase is designed to answer a separate research question.
Phase 1: Researchers test a new drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.
Phase 2: The drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.
Phase 3: The drug or treatment is given to large groups of people to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely.
Phase 4: Studies are done after the drug or treatment has been marketed to gather information on the drug's effect in various populations and any side effects associated with long-term use.
