NCT06954688

The Influence of Dry Needling for Hypertonia and Spasticity Treatment on Neuropathic Pain in Lower Extremity of Spinal Cord Injury: A Case Series Study

Terminated NA Last updated 1 May 2025

What this trial tests

NA trial testing dry needling in Neuropathic Pain in 5 participants. Terminated before completion.

Timeline

6 September 2024

Primary endpoint
4 February 2025

4 February 2025

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	Universiteit Antwerpen
Phase	NA
Status	Terminated
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	na
Design	single group
Masking	none
Primary purpose	treatment
Enrollment	5
Start date	6 September 2024
Primary completion	4 February 2025
Estimated completion	4 February 2025
Sites	1 location across Belgium

Drugs / interventions tested

• dry needling

Conditions studied

• Neuropathic Pain — all drugs for Neuropathic Pain →
• Spasticity — all drugs for Spasticity →
• Dry Needling Technique — all drugs for Dry Needling Technique →
• Spinal Cord Injury — all drugs for Spinal Cord Injury →

Sponsor

Universiteit Antwerpen — full company profile →

Who can join

Adults 18 to 85, any sex, with Neuropathic Pain or Spasticity. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

Spinal cord injury is a life-changing event that places a burden on the healthcare system, including caregivers and affected individuals. Studies do not provide a conclusive incidence rate due to methodological differences. However, a trend observed in recent years is an increasing incidence among the elderly population due to falls or non-traumatic spinal cord injury.

The clinical consequences of spinal cord injury include pain and spasticity, in addition to loss of function and activity. On average, 69% of spinal cord injury patients report pain, with one-third experiencing severe pain. A similar prevalence is seen for spasticity, which is often underreported among spinal cord injury patients. Unlike pain, spasticity is considered a common symptom in chronic spinal cord injury, with at least 35% of the SCI population suffering from this sensorimotor control disorder. These two symptoms suggest a correlation, yet clear evidence is lacking.

The secondary aim of this study is to explain the mechanisms of action of Dry Needling at various levels to better determine which subgroup of spinal cord injury patients would benefit most. A targeted study could optimize the effects of such a treatment: a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms could help with patient stratification and promote a more individualized approach, taking into account the pathogenesis of spasticity and the different mechanisms that can effectively modulate it.

Additionally, this study examines the effect of the dry needling technique on hypertonia and spasticity in the spastic calf muscles of spinal cord injury patients. Research has already shown that this technique has acute effects on hypertonia and spasticity in stroke, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson's disease. However, reliable research on spinal cord injury is lacking-currently, only a case report has investigated these effects. Therefore, this study is well-suited to build upon that case report and provide more evidence.

Furthermore, this study serves as a prospective study to observe the correlation between neuropathic pain and spasticity over time. As a pilot study, it has established a collaboration with the REVARTE rehabilitation hospital, which has a large spinal cord injury population.

The research will be conducted under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Steven Truijen (Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium, [e-mail]) and Prof. Dr. Wim Saeys (Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium, [e-mail]), organized from the University of Antwerp. During this study, no research costs will be charged to the patient, health insurance, or research environment.

Thank you in advance for your attention to our research.

Publications & conference data

No peer-reviewed publications indexed yet for this trial.