Comparison of dry needling and kinesio taping® in management of latent trapezius myofascial trigger points

Background Myofascial trigger points (MTrP), especially in the upper trapezius (UT) muscle, are one of the main reasons for the referral of patients to physiotherapy clinics. Kinesiotaping (KT) and dry needling (DN) have been proposed to treat this disorder. Objective The aim of this study was to compare the effects of DN and KT on latent MTrP in UT muscle. Methods In this randomized single-blind clinical trial, thirty-three patients with MTrP in UT were randomly divided into two DN (N = 17) and KT (N = 16) groups. The assessed included pain intensity as the main one, physical disability, and flexion, extension, right and left side flexion range of motion (ROM) of the cervical spine as the secondary outcomes. using the Visual Analogue Scale, Neck Disability Index, and the measurements of the distance between specific points, respectively. Results Both KT and DN methods can significantly decrease pain, improve physical disability, and increase cervical spine flexion ROM in patients with UT MTrP(P < 0.05); while both methods had no significant effects on the extension, right and left lateral flexion cervical ROM (P > 0.05). Conclusions Both DN and KT methods can reduce pain, physical disability, and improve active cervical spine flexion ROM in patients with MTrP in UT muscle; however, it seems that KT application is more effective to diminish pain than DN intervention.