Patient-Perceived Benefits and Adverse Events of Dry Needling.
Melissa Tolbert, K Suzanne Leach, Matthew P Condo and 2 others
PMID 40904717WHAT IT FOUND
Most patients reported local soreness or pain after dry needling, but few had whole-body side effects.
Despite these adverse events, 82.1% said they would recommend the treatment to a friend.
Key findings
01Soreness and increased local pain were the most common side effects, while 59.3% of body regions reported no generalized adverse events.
02Patients perceived improvements in pain (73.8%) and mobility (70.6%), but less so in strength (38.5%) and gait (46.2%).
0382.1% of respondents would recommend dry needling to family or friends despite experiencing adverse events.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The survey tool was created by the authors and has not been validated for reliability or validity. Participants were recruited via social media and university emails in a local U.S. area, which may skew the sample toward younger or more digitally connected individuals. The study relied on self-reported perceptions of improvement rather than objective clinical measures. Participants were not asked to isolate specific sessions, so it is unclear if adverse events or improvements resulted from a single treatment or multiple sessions.
Declared interests
No specific funding source or conflict of interest declarations were provided in the text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the high recommendation rate or perceived improvements as proof of clinical efficacy. These are subjective patient reports from an unvalidated survey, not objective outcomes compared to a control group.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →