Two high quality studies examining the effectiveness of dry needling in combination with either exercise versus sham dry needling and exercise, (Sanchez, 2019) or dry needling combined with manual therapy and exercise versus manual therapy and exercise alone (Dunning, 2018) were reviewed. Sanchez et al. 2019 found no difference in clinical outcomes of pain or function between treatment groups. In contrast, Dunning et al. found greater improvements in measures of pain and function in the group receiving dry needling. The inconsistency in the results of these studies has prompted the workgroup not to make a recommendation for or against dry needling at this time. Additional evidence will be required before a recommendation can be made.
Future Research
Continued research with larger studies to examine the effectiveness of dry needling for reducing pain and improving function in patients with knee osteoarthritis is warranted.
- Dunning, J., Butts, R., Young, I., Mourad, F., Galante, V., Bliton, P., Tanner, M., Fernandez-de-Las-Penas, C. Periosteal Electrical Dry Needling as an Adjunct to Exercise and Manual Therapy for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial. Clinical Journal of Pain 2018; 12: 1149-1158
- Sanchez Romero, E. A., Fernandez-Carnero, J., Calvo-Lobo, C., Ochoa Saez, V., Burgos Caballero, V., Pecos-Martìn, D. Is a Combination of Exercise and Dry Needling Effective for Knee OA?. Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.) 2019; 0: