Manual Therapy
Volume 15, Issue 6 , Pages 529-535 , December 2010

Myofascial trigger point needling for whiplash associated pain – A feasibility study

  • Elizabeth A. Tough

      Affiliations

    • Primary Care, Peninsula Medical School, University of Exeter, UK
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author at: Peninsula Medical School, Primary Care Research, Room 110, Smeall Building, St Luke’s Campus, Exeter EX1 2LU, UK. Tel.: +44(0)1392 722754; fax: +44(0)1392 432223.
    • ,
  • Adrian R. White

      Affiliations

    • Primary Care, Peninsula Medical School, University of Plymouth, UK
    • ,
  • Suzanne H. Richards

      Affiliations

    • Primary Care, Peninsula Medical School, University of Exeter, UK
    • ,
  • John L. Campbell

      Affiliations

    • Primary Care, Peninsula Medical School, University of Exeter, UK

Received 4 December 2009 ,Revised 18 May 2010 ,Accepted 25 May 2010.

References 

  1. Barnsley L, Lord S, Bogduk N. Whiplash injury. Pain. 1994;58(3):283–307
  2. Brinkhaus B, Witt CM, Jena S, Linde K, Streng A, Wagenpfeil S, et al. Acupuncture in patients with chronic low back pain: a randomised controlled trial. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2006;166(4):450–457
  3. Cummings TM, White AR. Needling therapies in the management of myofascial trigger point pain: a systematic review. Archive of Physical Medicine Rehabilitation. 2001;82(7):986–992
  4. Dommerholt J. Treating patients involved in MVA. Physical Therapy. 1997;77(6):678
  5. Ettlin T, Schuster C, Stoffel R, Bruderlin A, Kischka U. A distinct pattern of myofascial findings in patients after whiplash injury. Archive of Physical Medicine Rehabilitation. 2008;89(7):1290–1293
  6. Evans RW. Some observations on whiplash injuries. Neurologic Clinics. 1992;10(4):975–997
  7. Fattori B, Ursino F, Cingolani C, Bruschini L, Dallan I, Nacci A. Acupuncture treatment of whiplash injury. International Tinnitus Journal. 2004;10(2):156–160
  8. Foster NE, Thomas E, Hill JC, Hay EM. The relationship between patient and practitioner expectations and preferences and clinical outcomes in a trial of exercise and acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis. European Journal of Pain. 2009;
  9. Fricton JR. Myofascial pain and whiplash. SPINE: State of the Art Reviews. 1993;7(3):403–422
  10. Furlan AD, van Tulder MW, Cherkin DC, Tsukayama H, Lao L, Keos BW, et al. Acupuncture and dry needling for low back pain. Cochrane Database Systematic Review. 2005, Jan 25;(1):CD001351;[Review]
  11. Galasko CSB, Murray P, Stephenson W. Incidence of whiplash associated disorder. British Columbian Medical Journal. 2002;44(5):237–240
  12. Gerwin RD, Dommerholt J. Myofascial trigger points in chronic cervical whiplash syndrome. Journal of Musculoskeletal Pain. 1998;6(Suppl. 2):28
  13. Haake M, Muller HH, Schade-Brittinger C, Basler HD, Schafer H, Maier C, et al. German acupuncture trials (GERAC) for chronic low back pain: randomised, multicenter, blinded, parallel group trial with three groups. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2007;167(17):1892–1898
  14. Hurwitz EL, Carragee EJ, van der Velde G, Carroll LJ, Nordin M, Guzman J, et al. Treatment of neck pain: non-invasive interventions: results of the bone and joint decade 2000–2010 task force on neck pain and its associated disorders. Spine. 2008;33(Suppl. 4):S123–S152
  15. Jull G, Falla D, Treleavan J, Sterling M, O’Leary S. A therapeutic exercise approach for cervical disorders. In:  Boyling JD,  Jull G editor. Modern manual therapy. 3rd ed.. The vertebral column. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone; 2004;p. 451–469
  16. Jull G, Kristjansson E, Dall’Alba P. Impairment in the cervical flexors: a comparison of whiplash and insidious onset neck pain patients. Manual Therapy. 2004;9(2):89–94
  17. Kaptchuk TJ, Kelley JM, Conboy LA, Davis RB, Kerr CE, Jacobson EE, et al. Components of placebo effect: randomised controlled trial in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. British Medical Journal. 2008;336(7651):999–1003
  18. Kelley JM, Lembo AJ, Ablon JS, Villanueva JJ, Conboy LA, Levy R, et al. Patient and practitioner influences on the placebo effect in irritable bowel syndrome. Psychosomatic Medicine. 2009;71(7):789–797
  19. Larsson SE, Alund M, Cai HM, Oberg PA. Chronic pain after soft-tissue injury of the cervical spine – trapezius muscle blood-flow and electromyography of static loads and fatigue. Pain. 1994;57(2):173–180
  20. Linde K, Witt CM, Streng A, Weidenhammer W, Wagenpfeil S, Brinkhaus B, et al. The impact of patient expectations on outcomes in four randomized controlled trials of acupuncture in patients with chronic pain. Pain. 2007;128(3):264–271
  21. Melzack R. The short-form McGill pain questionnaire. Pain. 1987;30(2):191–197
  22. Mendoza T, Mayne T, Rublee D, Cleeland C. Reliability and validity of a modified brief pain inventory short form in patients with osteoarthritis. European Journal of Pain. 2006;10(4):353–361
  23. Miller FG, Kaptchuk TJ. Acupuncture trials and informed consent. Journal of Medical Ethics. 2007;33(1):43–44
  24. Moore A, Jackson A, Jordan J, Hammersley S, Hill J, Mercer C, et al. Clinical guidelines for the physiotherapy management of whiplash associated disorder. London: Chartered Society of Physiotherapy; 2005;
  25. Parmar HV, Raymakers R. Neck injuries from rear impact road traffic accidents: prognosis in persons seeking compensation. Injury. 1993;24(2):75–78
  26. Scott NA, Guo B, Barton PM, Gerwin RD. Trigger point injection for chronic non-malignant musculoskeletal pain – a systematic review. Pain Medicine. 2009;10(1):54–69
  27. Simons DG, Travell JG, Simons LS. Travell & Simons’ myofascial pain and dysfunction: the trigger point manual. 2nd ed.. Upper half of body. vol. 1. Baltimore: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 1999;
  28. Snaith RP. The hospital anxiety and depression scale. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes. 2003;1(1):29
  29. Spitzer WO, Skovron ML, Salmi LR, Cassidy JD, Duranceau J, Suissa S, et al. Scientific monograph of the Quebec task force on whiplash-associated disorders: redefining “whiplash” and its management. Spine. 1995;20(8 Suppl.):1S–73S
  30. Tomlinson PJ, Gargan MF, Bannister GC. The fluctuation in recovery following whiplash injury 7.5-year prospective review. Injury. 2005;36(6):758–761
  31. Tough EA, White AR, Cummings TM, Richards SH, Campbell JL. Acupuncture and dry needling in the management of myofascial trigger point pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. European Journal of Pain. 2009;13(1):3–10Jan
  32. Tough EA, White AR, Richards SH, Lord B, Campbell JL. Developing and validating a sham acupuncture needle. Acupuncture in Medicine. 2009;27:118–122
  33. Verhagen AP, Scholten-Peeters GG, van WS, de Bie RA, Bierma-Zeinstra SM. Conservative treatments for whiplash. Cochrane Database Systematic Review. 2007;(2):CD003338;[Review]
  34. Vernon H, Mior S. The neck disability index: a study of reliability and validity. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. 1991;14(7):409–415
  35. Vernon H. Assessment of self-rated disability, impairment, and sincerity of effort in whiplash-associated disorders. Journal of Musculoskeletal Pain. 2000;8(1–2):155–167
  36. Vickers AJ, Rusch VW, Malhotra VT, Downey RJ, Cassileth BR. Acupuncture is a feasible treatment for post-thoracotomy pain: results of a prospective pilot trial. BioMedCentral Anesthesiology. 2006;6(5):
  37. White A, Hayhoe S, Hart A, Ernst E. Adverse events following acupuncture: prospective survey of 32000 consultations with doctors and physiotherapists. British Medical Journal. 2001;323(7311):485–486
  38. Witt CM, Jena S, Brinkhaus B, Liecker B, Wegscheider K, Willich SN. Acupuncture for patients with chronic neck pain. Pain. 2006;125:98–106

PII: S1356-689X(10)00085-8

doi: 10.1016/j.math.2010.05.010

Manual Therapy
Volume 15, Issue 6 , Pages 529-535 , December 2010

Article Tools

* Image Usage & Resolution