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Purpose

The investigators are doing this study to see if a treatment called dry needling improves muscle spasticity (muscle tightness) in people who have Multiple Sclerosis. Dry needling involves using tiny needles, like those in acupuncture, to target some muscles, like calf muscles. It differs from traditional acupuncture as it focuses on treating or managing muscle spots, aiming to reduce muscle stiffness and pain. Dry needling may offer a minimally-invasive and medication-free approach to improve muscle spasticity. The investigators hope to see if dry needling also helps enhance balance and walking abilities. This might provide potential improvements inoverall mobility and balance.

Conditions

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Between 18 Years and 64 Years
Eligible Genders
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No

Inclusion Criteria

  • Age 18 to 64 years - Clinical diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis based on the McDonald Criteria - Spasticity in their lower legs - Patient Determined Disease Steps (PDDS) score of 5 or below

Exclusion Criteria

  • Inability to communicate effectively with study personnel - Needle phobia - Severe varicose veins - Presence of an active implanted device - Pregnancy - Any active cancer or history within 1 year - known or suspected infection at the site of needling or in the surrounding area - Presence of a fixed plantarflexion contracture at the ankle - Acute fracture of dislocation in the region (bilateral lower extremity) - Deep vein thrombosis or peripheral vascular disease - Thrombophlebitis, or active osteomyelitis in the region (bilateral lower extremity) - Any medication changes, including antispastic medicines, for the past three months.

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Parallel Assignment
Primary Purpose
Treatment
Masking
Double (Participant, Outcomes Assessor)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Experimental
Dry needling 		Participants will complete three sessions of dry needling through three weeks (one session per each week)
  • Device: Dry needling
    The dry needling technique will employ in the current proposed study follows the standard technique for needling patients with spasticity
Sham Comparator
Sham DN 		Participants randomized to the control group will be receiving sham needling
  • Device: Sham dry needling
    In the control group, The investigators will use the methods proposed by Cushman et al. to apply sham dry needling (DN) to our participants

Recruiting Locations

Mobility and Falls Lab
Kansas City, Kansas 66103
Contact:
Amir Tabatabaei Dr Tabatabaei, PhD
913-588-5000
stabatabaeihalavi@kumc.edu

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
University of Kansas Medical Center

Study Contact

Abbas TABATABAEI, PhD
913-588-3715
stabatabaeihalavi@kumc.edu

Notice

Study information shown on this site is derived from ClinicalTrials.gov (a public registry operated by the National Institutes of Health). The listing of studies provided is not certain to be all studies for which you might be eligible. Furthermore, study eligibility requirements can be difficult to understand and may change over time, so it is wise to speak with your medical care provider and individual research study teams when making decisions related to participation.