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Dry Needling and Quad Strength After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

NCT07657195 · Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 40

Last updated 2026-08-21

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Dry needling is a skilled intervention provided by trained physical therapists to treat pain, myofascial dysfunction, and a variety of other diagnosis. While there is research demonstrating the benefits of dry needling in reduction of pain and improvement in strength, research in regards the pediatric population is very limited. A recent retrospective chart review regarding dry needling trends and outcomes in the pediatric orthopedic population showed the pediatric population is tolerating this treatment and seeing benefits. Physical therapists are already pushing the boundaries and finding additional benefits in the use of dry needling with current patients. A diagnosis frequently seen in sports medicine is surgical reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Over the last couple of years, therapists have seen an increase in the use of quadriceps tendon autograft for reconstruction following ACL tears due to lower incidence rate of retears. Patients have been struggling to regain strength of the quadriceps to meet desired outcomes. The quadricep muscles are one of the major stabilizers of the knee and with a reduction in strength places the patient at a significant increase of retear.

Subjects will be categorized into an experimental group (dry needling intervention + physical therapy) or the control group (physical therapy only) with a N of 20 in each group.

The goal for this research is to determine if dry needling use in the subacute phase of post-operative ACLR following quadriceps autograft can assist with increasing quad strength and improve post-surgical outcomes.

Conditions

  • Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Rehabilitation
  • Dry Needling
  • Strength

Interventions

PROCEDURE

Dry Needling

Dry needling is defined as a skilled intervention that utilizes a thin filiform needle to stimulate underlying myofascial trigger points, muscular, and connective tissue in managing pain and movement dysfunction. For the Intervention Group, dry needling will be completed to the quadriceps as stated below. Two sessions of dry needling will be done once per week starting in week 6 and finishing by end of week 7. The patient will be laying in supine. Needles will be placed in the quadriceps muscle. Placement will be at identified trigger points or in mid muscle belly if no trigger point is identified. Electrical stimulation will be applied and increased to an intensity of the patient's tolerance with a visual contraction noted. Electrical stimulation will remain on for 5 minutes.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas City

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Mellony J Mann, DPT · Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas City

Study Design

Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
10 Years
Max Age
20 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2026-09-11
Primary Completion
2027-06-30
Completion
2027-06-30

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07657195 on ClinicalTrials.gov