Dry Needling Trigger Points Can Increase Muscle Strength

Trigger points

As active individuals, we are no strangers to muscle tightness and trigger points. Many of us have trigger points throughout the body (most commonly reported in the upper traps), but what actually is a trigger point?

“Myofascial trigger points have been defined as hyper irritable palpable nodules within a taunt band of muscle…” (2)

So basically a trigger point is a giant knot in the muscle that hurts. There are two kinds of trigger points:

1. Latent trigger points

2. Active trigger points

The biggest difference between the two is a latent trigger point is only painful when you push on it, and an active trigger point can cause pain without palpation. (3,4)

Dry needling

For an in-depth look at dry needling, check out our previous SciSport blog post:

I've Heard of Dry Needling, But What Is It?

Trigger point dry needling is an effective treatment option during which many physiological and neurological processes are happening at once.

• Increased tissue oxygenation (7)

• Increased localized blood flow (7)

• Reduction in pain provoking biochemical mediators (7)

• Improved muscle fiber contraction

• Improved muscle force production

• Improved neuromuscular control (5)

• Decreased resting muscle tone (decreased muscle spasm) (6)

Increase Strength

Not only is dry needling effective in decreasing pain, it is also effective in enhancing muscle force production and strength! A recent study, “Effects of Trigger Point Dry Needling on Strength Measurements and Activation Levels of the Gluteus Medius: A Quasi-Experimental Randomized Control Study” published in the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy demonstrates an increase in glute strength immediately following dry needling latent trigger points.(1)

This study focused on treating and testing the gluteus medius. This muscle serves a the primary frontal plane stabilizer of the pelvis. It is active during all functional activities including walking, running, jumping, and sport participation.

After dry needling latent trigger points in the gluteus medius, force production increased while surface EMG activation decreased. This decrease in muscle fiber recruitment may seem negative, but it actually indicates better efficiency. If someone has weakness of a muscle, potentially caused by a latent trigger point, a compensatory mechanism might be to recruit more of the muscle fibers to achieve a given force. By dry needling the trigger point, the increased strength allows the muscle to achieve even greater force without the need for recruiting as many muscle fibers. We wouldn’t want to recruit all the fibers in a muscle during every activity. Imagine trying to use fork to eat dinner and recruiting the whole biceps muscle…Ever watch a 6-month old baby feed themselves? It would look a lot like that. Our brain wants to recruit muscles with energy efficiency.

more science

For anyone wanting an in-depth look at how this works - the following gets a little science heavy:

1. Following dry-needling, calcitonin gene related peptide is decreased, allowing for overlap of actin and myosin proteins and improving cross bridge formation within the sarcomere unit. In the presence of calcitonin gene related peptide, muscle fibers remain in a contracture state preventing meaningful muscle contraction during movement. (8)

2. It’s possible that a reduction of group III and IV afferent input to second order neurons could reverse alpha motor neuron inhibition thus improving neuromuscular control. (5)

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Struggling with painful trigger points? Interested in our dry needling services?

Schedule a dry needling session with us today to get you back to feeling your best!

References

1. Schneider E, Moore ES, Stanborough R, Slaven E. Effects of Trigger Point Dry Needling on Strength Measurements and Activation Levels of the Gluteus Medius: A Quasi- Experimental Randomized Control Study. IJSPT. Published online December 1, 2022.

2. Travell JG, Simons DG. Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual. Vol 1. Williams & Wilkins; 1983.

3. Dommerholt J, Bron C, Franssen J. Myofascial trigger points: an evidence-informed review. J Man Manip Ther. 2006;14(4):203-221.

4. Shah JP, Thaker N, Heimur J, Aredo JV, Sikdar S, Gerber L. Myofascial trigger points then and now: A historical and scientific perspective. PM R. 2015;7(7):746-761.

5. Lucas KR. The impact of latent trigger points on regional muscle function. Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2008;12(5):344-349.

6. Albin SR, Koppenhaver SL, MacDonald CW, et al. The effect of dry needling on gastrocnemius musclestiffness and strength in participants with latenttrigger points. J Electrormyogr Kinesiol.2020;55:102479.

7. Shah JP, Danoff JV, Desai MJ, et al. Biochemicals associated with pain and inflammation are elevatedin sites near to and remote from active myofascialtrigger points. Arch Phys Med Rehabil.2008;89(1):16-23.

8. Gerwin RD, Dommerholt J, Shah JP. An expansionof Simons’ integrated hypothesis of trigger point formation. Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2004;8(6):468-475.

Disclaimer: This SciSport blog post is a summary of an article printed in an academic research journal. The purpose of this blog post is to provide readers with academic and educational content in an easy-to-understand format. We take no credit for the material and knowledge presented, and we encourage readers to take a look at the original source provided in the References section.