Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
The Effect of Dry Needling on Sleep Quality in Individuals With Musculoskeletal Pain Disorders.
By Lunasin RM et al.·2026·Department of Orthopedic Surgery, United States·View original on Europe PMC →
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Plain-English summary
This study looked at whether dry needling, a treatment often used for muscle pain, can help improve sleep for people dealing with musculoskeletal pain disorders. Researchers reviewed a large number of articles and found 54 studies that met their criteria, but the results were mixed and not clear-cut. The differences in how the studies were designed and the ways they measured sleep made it hard to draw strong conclusions. Overall, while some studies showed promise, the evidence isn't strong enough to say for sure if dry needling helps with sleep issues in these patients. More research is needed to better understand the relationship between dry needling and sleep quality.
Abstract
<h4>Objectives</h4>To explore existing evidence and identify whether dry needling (DN) intervention has effects on sleep disturbance in patients with musculoskeletal pain.<h4>Methods</h4>The Arksey and O'Malley framework guided the scoping review methodology. Seven databases were searched for clinical trials investigating DN in musculoskeletal pain disorders. Methodological quality was assessed using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale. Data extraction included study year, location, study design, musculoskeletal pain disorder, needling intervention type, and sleep outcome measure utilized.<h4>Results</h4>After duplicates were removed, 2292 articles were identified, and 33 studies were included in the review after independent screening. Two supplemental searches (May 2023 and January 2024) in addition to a hand search yielded an additional 146 articles. A total of 21 of those studies were also included, increasing the total to 54 studies. A total of 46 (84%) articles were RCTs and 8 (16%) were single-group, pretest-posttest clinical trials. A total of 9 studies were of optimal quality (PEDro score ≥ 8), and 11 were of moderate-to-high quality (PEDro score = 7).<h4>Discussion</h4>Due to significant variability in intervention, sleep outcome measurement, patient population, and study methodology quality, the evidence is mixed and inconclusive to support or refute the effects of DN on sleep deficits in individuals with musculoskeletal pain. However, future studies investigating the effects of needling interventions on musculoskeletal pain conditions should include valid sleep outcome measurements if considered.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Europe PMC: https://europepmc.org/article/MED/41768002