Dry needling for the management of thoracic spine pain

Abstract

Thoracic spine pain is as disabling as neck and low back pain; however, it has not received as much attention as the cervical and lumbar spine in the scientific literature. Among the different structures that can refer pain to the thoracic spine, muscles often play a relevant role. In fact, myofascial trigger points (TrPs) from several neck, shoulder and spinal muscles can induce pain in the region of the thoracic spine. There is a lack of evidence reporting the presence of myofascial TrPs in the thoracic spine, but clinical evidence suggests that TrPs can be a potential source of thoracic spine pain. The current paper discusses the role of myofascial TrPs in the thoracic spine and summarises the proper and safe application of dry needling (DN) for the management of myofascial TrPs in two main spinal muscles involved in thoracic spine pain: the thoracic multifidi and longissimus thoracis. In addition, this paper discusses the application of DN in other tissues such as tendons, ligaments and scars.

Keywords:

• Dry needling
• Thoracic spine
• Pain
• Trigger points
• Muscle pain