Dry Needling and Pain Relief in Myofascial Pain Syndrome: What Does the Evidence Say?

Purpose: Myofascial Pain Syndrome (MPS), commonly linked to myofascial trigger points (MTrPs), is a frequent cause of musculoskeletal pain. Dry Needling (DN) has gained global attention since the early 2000s as a potential treatment to alleviate pain symptoms in MPS. Despite extensive research, literature remains controversial, and a comprehensive summary of DN’s effectiveness is lacking. This evidence summary aims to evaluate the short- and long-term effects of DN on pain intensity in MPS across all body regions and to provide clinical recommendations. Methods: A systematic search of Cochrane, Embase, and PubMed identified systematic reviews and meta-analyses published after 2020. Studies comparing DN to other active or passive treatments were included. Methodological quality was assessed using AMSTAR 2, and the certainty of evidence was rated using the GRADE approach. Results: Eight systematic reviews, including five meta-analyses (n=7053), were analyzed. DN showed clear short-term effectiveness in reducing pain, as measured by the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Numerical Rating Scale (NRS). However, evidence for long-term effects remains inconclusive due to limited data. Methodological quality ranged from ‘critically low’ to ‘moderate’, and the overall certainty of evidence was rated as “very low”. Conclusion: Based on current evidence, DN can be weakly recommended (GRADE B) for short-term pain relief in MPS. Further, high-quality randomized controlled trials with larger sample sizes are needed to clarify their long-term effectiveness.