Design of a Clinical Trial Study to Evaluate the Effect of Dry Needling of Gluteus Medius Muscle on Pain and Function of Women with Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome: A Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial Protocol

The aim of this study is to design a double blind randomized clinical trial in order to investigate the effect of dry needling of gluteus medius muscle on pain and function of women with patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS).

In this clinical trial, 30 women with PFPS were randomly divided into the two treatment and control groups. Both groups received a conventional knee physiotherapy program that included two exercises for quadriceps muscle (15 minutes total) and high frequency transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) two times a week for three weeks. The treatment group also received dry needling once a week for three weeks with a fast-in and fast-out technique 10 times in the active trigger point of the gluteus medius muscle. The outcomes included pain and physical function, with the pain intensity and physical function measured using the visual analogue scale (VAS) and the Kujala questionnaire, respectively. The Shapiro-Wilk test was employed to check the distribution of data and based on the result of this test, the independent t-test was used if the data was of a normal distribution and the Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the control and treatment groups if the data distribution was not normal.

Today, the use of dry needling technique in the treatment of musculoskeletal problems has a growing trend in physiotherapy clinics. Given the role of the gluteus medius muscle in PFPS, the results of this study may help plan treatment programs for these patients as part of their rehabilitation.