Dry Needle In Management of Cervicogenic Headache

Headache is an important health problem. It is the commonest type of all signs of illness in the people worldwide. Cervicogenic Headache is commonest musculoskeletal condition in physiotherapy practice. This study's main objective was to evaluate effectiveness of Dry Needle with exercise in decreasing pain and improving function in patients with Cervicogenic Headache.

50 patients were included and assigned randomly to group A and B. Group-A received Dry Needle plus exercise and group-B received Dry Needle alone. Baseline assessment was taken before and after treatment; treatment was given for four weeks twice a week. Outcome indicators were measured by Visual analog scale, Neck Disability Index and Cervical Range Of Motion. The study findings indicate that both groups improve the symptoms of a headache. Clinically better improvement was indicated by Dry Needle plus exercise group than Dry Needle alone group. As per our results, Dry Needle plus exercise should be preferred for the management of cervicogenic headache over Dry Needle alone.

Group A received Dry Needling along with exercise having 25 individuals. Treatment lasted four weeks duration, twice a week.

Group B received Dry Needling alone having 25 individuals. Treatment lasted four weeks duration, twice a week.

A 0.25 X 15 mm acupuncture needle was used for sub occipital muscle and 0.25 X 40 mm needle was used for paraspinal and trapezius muscle. All the necessary precautions were maintained before inserting the needle. Therapists wore hand gloves for all purposes. The exercise for the muscles of cervical group, for group A was carried out by elevating head from lying in supine position repeating 20 times in three sets and pressing a theraband forward in one set of 15 repetitions, to right side and to left side and back side

Visual analogue scale is a subjective outcome measurement where patients judge the intensity of their pain on a scale of 0-10, which is in the form of a 10cm straight line . On this 0-10 scale, zero denotes no pain and ten denotes severe pain intensity

The Neck Disability index contains 10 items, seven related to activities of daily living, two related to pain, and one item related to concentration. Each item is scored ranging from 0 (no pain or disability) to 5 (severe pain and disability); and the total score is expressed as a percentage, with higher scores corresponding to greater disability.

Inclusion Criteria: Age between 20-50 years. Male and female both gender Worker in the Office. Employed permanently. Self-motivated for working continuously for rehab. Persistent or regular pain in the neck over a span of at least 6 months. Exclusion Criteria: Cervical spine injury or surgery. Congenital spinal deformity. Participants having age less than 20 or elder than 50 years. Cervical radiculopathy, The participants had experienced any recent trauma or suffering from dizzy spells, any vascular neurological disorders.