Clinical Study on Dry Needling for Primary Dysmenorrhea and Its Preliminary Correlation With Acupoints

Summary

Primary dysmenorrhea refers to menstrual pain not caused by pelvic organic lesions, commonly seen in young women, significantly affecting patients' quality of life. Dry needling therapy targeting myofascial trigger points for primary dysmenorrhea has been preliminarily applied in clinical settings. However, related research is limited with questionable quality, hindering its widespread clinical application. Furthermore, is there a connection between myofascial trigger points in dry needling and acupuncture acupoints in terms of selection and mechanism of action? Could this be a new interpretation of acupuncture theory? These are important questions that have garnered widespread attention. This study employs a randomized patient-blinded controlled design, enrolling primary dysmenorrhea patients aged 18 to 30 years. They are randomly divided into three groups: the trigger point dry needling group, traditional acupuncture treatment group, and trigger point sham needle (placebo) group. Changes in pain levels, quality of life scores, inflammatory factor levels, and local blood flow before and after treatment among the three groups are observed. The aim is to assess the therapeutic effects of dry needling trigger points and acupuncture treatments on primary dysmenorrhea and explore their potential mechanisms of action. By comparing the differences and similarities between dry needling trigger points and acupuncture treatments in terms of acupoint selection, treatment effects, and potential mechanisms of action, this study seeks to preliminarily explore the feasibility of integrating trigger point theory into the meridian 'acupoint' theory, laying the foundation for a modern interpretation of acupuncture

Conditions

• Trigger Point Pain, Myofascial
• Acupuncture
• Primary Dysmenorrhea

Interventions

OTHER

TrP-DN and Acupuncture

Treatment is conducted by pain specialists and acupuncturists, each having over 5 years of relevant work experience. The treatment occurs within the three weeks leading up to menstruation, administered once a week for a total of three sessions. Additionally, participants are to engage in abdominal stretching exercises starting from the treatment day. These exercises are to be done 3-5 times daily, with each session lasting approximately 2 minutes, and this regimen is to continue for one month. If participants experience significant pain during menstruation, they may take NSAIDs orally for symptomatic relief.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Beijing Municipal Health Commission

  collaborator OTHER_GOV

• Beijing Hospital

  lead OTHER_GOV

Principal Investigators

• Hua Zhen · Beijing Hospital

• Yanxia Sun · Beijing Hospital

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

DOUBLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

30 Years

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-04-01

Primary Completion

2025-12-31

Completion

2026-12-31

Countries

• China

Study Locations