Publications
Acute Effects of the Dry Needling Session on Gastrocnemius Muscle Biomechanical Properties, and Perfusion with Latent Trigger Points – A Single-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial in Mixed Martial Arts Athletes
Authors: Robert Trybulski 1, Arkadiusz Stanula 2, Aleksandra Zebrowska 3, Mieszko Podlesny 4, Barbara Hall 3
Affiliations:
- Medical Department of the Wojciech Korfanty Upper Silesian Academy, Poland
- Laboratory of Sport Performance Analysis, Institute of Sport Sciences, The Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical Education in Katowice, Poland
- Department of Physiology, School of Physiological-Medical Sciences, The Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical Education in Katowice, Poland
- „Salus“ Health Center Slupsk, Poland
Journal: Journal of Sports Science & Medicine - January 2024, Volume 23, Pages 136-146 (DOI: 10.52082/jssm.2024.136)
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Field & Applications:
- Sport
- Treatment evaluation
- Complementary and Alternative Medicine
The study aimed to evaluate the immediate effects of a dry needling (DN) therapy session on biomechanical properties, muscle power, perfusion, and pressure pain threshold of the gastrocnemius muscle with latent trigger points.
Twenty mixed martial arts athletes (MMA) were randomly divided into two groups: experimental (eDN, n = 10) and sham (qDN, n = 10) to undergo one session of DN either with a real or a qazi needle. The measurements were taken at rest, 1-5 minutes after the DN (Post1-5min) and 24h after the DN (Post24h).
DN significantly increased the muscle perfusion (Post1-5min and Post24h, p < 0.001), reduced its tone (Post1-5min and Post24h, p < 0.001) and stiffness (Post1-5min, p < 0.05; Post24 h, p < 0.001), and improved its elasticity (Post1-5min and Post24h, p < 0.001). DN also caused a significant increase in pressure pain threshold (Post1-5min, p < 0.001; Post24h, p < 0.05) and in muscle power (Post24h, p < 0.01).
The DN session increased the blood perfusion and improved the biomechanical properties of the gastrocnemius muscle, which led to improved muscle power. The DN also had an analgesic effect. These effects were maintained at 24 h, which suggests that DN could facilitate muscle recovery in a post-exercise period of MMA athletes.
Keywords: latent trigger point, mixed martial arts, myotonometry, blood perfusion
We demonstrated that DN leads to an increase in blood perfusion of the treated latent TrP site and causes beneficial changes in the biomechanical properties of the gastrocnemius muscle, i.e., muscle tone, dynamic stiffness, and elasticity, increasing muscle power and, hence, athletic performance during a drop jump. In addition, DN has an immediate analgesic effect and, in our opinion, can be used as a therapy between training sessions. The DN effects were maintained at 24 h, which suggests that DN could facilitate muscle recovery in a post-exercise period of MMA athletes. MyotonPRO has been proven to be a reliable tool to measure the biomechanical properties of the gastrocnemius muscle in MMA athletes in a non-invasive way.