OBJECTIVE: To identify whether a single session of postrace dry needling can decrease postrace soreness and quantity of postrace leg cramps in half-marathon and full-marathon runners. DESIGN: Single-blind, prospective, randomized, controlled trial. SETTING: Finish line of 2018 Salt Lake City Marathon and Half-Marathon. PARTICIPANTS: Runners aged 18 years or older who completed a marathon or half-marathon. INTERVENTIONS: True or sham dry needling of the bilateral vastus medialis and soleus muscles within 1 hour of race completion by 2 experienced practitioners. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome measure was numeric pain rating improvements for soreness on days 1, 2, 3, and 7 compared to immediately postrace. Secondary outcome measures included number of postrace cramps and subjective improvement of soreness. RESULTS: Sixty-two runners were included with 28 receiving true and 34 receiving sham dry needling. Objective pain scores showed an increase in pain of the soleus muscles at days 1 and 2 (p <= 0.003 and p <= 0.041, respectively) in the dry needling group. No differences were seen in postrace pain in the vastus medialis muscles (p > 0.05). No association was seen between treatment group and presence of postrace cramping at any time point (p > 0.05). Subjectively, there was a nonsignificant trend for those receiving dry needling to feel better than expected over time (p = 0.089), but no difference with cramping (p = 0.396). CONCLUSIONS: A single postrace dry needling session does not objectively improve pain scores or cramping compared to sham therapy.
For more information on this journal, please visit http://www.lww.com.

Full text (sometimes free) may be available at these link(s):      help

• DOI
• PubMed
• PDF locator
• publisher