Acute effects of functional dry needling on skeletal muscle function.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION\nFunctional dry needling (FDN) is commonly used to treat soft tissue pain-related conditions. Previous research has demonstrated benefits to chronic resistance training; however, objective physiological measures sensitive to acute exercise have not been found. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the acute effects of FDN on muscle strength and endurance.\n\n\nMETHODS\nTen subjects (height 168\xa0±\xa09\xa0cm, mass 68.2\xa0±\xa011.3\xa0kg) were tested bilaterally (pre and post) for vastus lateralis (VL) isometric strength, isokinetic fatigue index, muscle electrical activity, and muscle oxygenation. FDN was administered to one leg, while the other served as a control.\n\n\nRESULTS\nLimited acute effects of functional dry needling were observed (p\xa0<\xa00.05).\n\n\nDISCUSSION\nFDN does not appear to acutely improve muscle function in healthy young adults. Although there were no improvements in muscle function, there were no adverse effects either, contributing to the safety of FDN healthy populations.\n\n\nCONCLUSION\nAcute FDN does not appear to enhance muscle performance in a healthy, non-clinical population. Thus, clinicians should consider the population and desired outcome when applying FDN.