Effectiveness of ultrasound guided interfascial hydrodissection with the use of saline anesthetic solution for myofascial pain syndrome of the upper trapezius: a single blind randomized controlled trial.
Charidy Suarez-Ramos, Consuelo Gonzalez-Suarez, Ivan Neil Gomez and 3 others
PMID 38149112WHAT IT FOUND
Ultrasound-guided interfascial hydrodissection and dry needling both reduced myofascial pain in the upper trapezius.
Hydrodissection provided significantly greater pain relief immediately and up to 30 minutes after treatment. However, there was no difference between the two groups in pain scores or quality of life from one week to six months.
Key findings
01The hydrodissection group had significantly lower pain scores than the dry needling group immediately, at 10 minutes, and at 30 minutes after the procedure.
02From one week up to six months after treatment, pain scores were not statistically different between the two groups.
03Both treatments significantly improved quality of life dimensions like usual activity and pain/discomfort compared to baseline, but there were no significant differences between the two groups in these scores over time.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study did not include a control group that received only self-stretching exercises or no intervention, so it is unclear how much of the improvement was due to the needling versus the exercises. The sample size was relatively small (46 participants). The ultrasound machine used lacked advanced features like shear wave elastography, which might have provided deeper insights into tissue changes. Blinding was only single-blind; participants knew which treatment they received, which could influence subjective pain and quality of life reporting.
Declared interests
The text does not explicitly state funding sources or conflicts of interest in a dedicated section, but it notes the study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the University of Santo Tomas Hospital.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that hydrodissection is superior to dry needling for long-term pain management. The significant benefit of hydrodissection was limited to the first 30 minutes after treatment; from one week onward, both methods resulted in similar pain levels and quality of life improvements.