Efficacy of Dry Needling with Exercise in Cervicogenic Headache- A Randomized Clinical Trail

Abstract

Background: Cervicogenic headache (CGH) is a type of a common musculoskeletal condition which can be dealt with in physiotherapy practice. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of dry needling (DN) with exercise in decreasing pain and improving function in patients with CGH.

AIM: Comparing DN plus exercise with DN alone for the management of CGH to determine which is more effective.

Method: 50 patients were assigned randomly to groups A and B. Group A received DN plus exercise and group B received DN alone. Baseline assessment was made before and after treatment; treatment was given for four weeks, twice/week. Visual analogue scale (VAS), neck disability index (NDI), and cervical range of motion (CROM) were outcome measures. Study was conducted in June 2020.

Results: The results indicated that both management approaches lead to a significant reduction in CGH. Both treatments showed positive effects in regard to CROM, but DN plus exercise showed more improvement except right rotation CROM as compared to DN alone. It is to be noted that other outcome variables also differed significantly between the groups.

Conclusion: The study findings indicate that both treatment methods improve the symptoms of a headache. Clinically, more improvement was indicated by DN plus exercise than by DN alone. According to our results, DN plus exercise should be preferred for the management of cervicogenic headache over DN alone.