Does Dry Needling Contribute to Conventional Treatment on Nocturnal Calf Cramps? A Randomized Controlled Study

Objective: Nocturnal calf cramps (NCC) are painful contractions of the lower limbs at night, most commonly in the calf muscles. Many trials demonstrated that dry needling (DN) effectively treats various musculoskeletal conditions. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of DN in treating NCC. Materials and Methods: Forty-two patients were randomized into two groups. The first group received stretching exercises, and the second group received stretching exercises and DN to trigger points in the gastrocnemius muscle. The cramp duration (CD), the number of cramps (NOC), cramp intensity (CI), algometric measurements of pressure pain threshold (PPT), and Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) values were recorded before, after, and three months after treatment. Results: There was no difference between the groups regarding the parameters investigated before intervention. Investigated before intervention. Both groups had a significant decrease in NOC, CI, and PSQI scores and an increase in PPT values after treatment and the third month (p<0.001). At post-treatment measures, between the groups, there was a significant decrease in CI (p<0.001) and PSQI (p=0.002), and increase in PPT (p=0.001) in the DN group, and no difference in NOC (p=0.545) and CD (p=0.140). At the 3-month follow-up, between the groups, there was a significant decrease in NOC (p=0.016), CI (p<0.001), and increase in PPT (p=0.003) in the DN group and no difference in PSQI (p=0.229) and CD (p=0.175). Conclusion: DN in the treatment of NCC in the short and medium term is an effective method of reducing pain, decreasing the duration and intensity of cramps, and improving sleep quality.