Dry Needling and Quad Strength After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstructon

Conditions

• Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Rehabilitation
• Dry Needling
• Strength

Eligibility Criteria

Sex

ALL

Age

10 Years - 20 Years

Healthy Volunteers

Not accepted

Interventions

• Dry Needling — PROCEDURE
  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.

Study Details

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. I recently completed a retrospective chart review regarding dry needling trends and outcomes in the pediatric orthopedic population. We now know 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 our 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. These 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.

Key Dates

Start date

Jul 1, 2026

Status verified

Jun 2026

Primary completion

Jun 30, 2027

Completion

Jun 30, 2027

Study Design

Enrollment

40 participants (estimated)

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Arms

• Experimental: Dry Needling Group
  For the Intervention Group, dry needling will be completed to the quadriceps muscle. Strength measurements will be taken using a handheld dynamometer in post-operative weeks 6, 7, and 9.
• No Intervention: Control Group (No dry needling)
  Participants will not receive dry needling intervention. Strength measurements will be taken using a handheld dynamometer in post-operative weeks 6, 7, and 9.

Primary Outcome Measure

Change in Quadriceps Muscle Strength [ Time Frame: Muscle strength measurements taken at post-operative week 6, 7, and 9. ]

Central Contacts

• Mellony J Mann, DPT
  913- 717-4750
  [email protected]
• Shannon R Margherio, PT
  816-816-6927
  [email protected]

Locations (3)

Find similar trials in Kansas City, KS

Related Studies

• Evaluation of Home-based Telerehabilitation Platform to Augment Orthopedic Rehabilitation
  Recruiting · University of Mississippi Medical Center · Jackson, Mississippi
• ACL Reconstruction Rehabilitation With Exercise and Psychological Support
  Recruiting · HealthPartners Institute · Bloomington, Minnesota
• Determining the Effects of Non-invasive Brain Stimulation to Improve Quadriceps Muscle Function After ACL Reconstruction
  Recruiting · Arcadia University · Glenside, Pennsylvania