Dry needling versus instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization in patients with cervicogenic headache: a randomized controlled trial

This study was conducted to compare dry needling (DN) and instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM), alongside conventional physical therapy in patients with CGH. Sixty Patients (48 females and 12 males) with CGH were allocated by permuted block to three equal groups; Group (A) received dry needling plus conventional therapy, Group (B) received IASTM plus conventional therapy, and Group (C) received conventional therapy alone. The primary outcomes measure were Visual Analogue Scale, Arabic Neck Disability Index, and Pressure Pain Threshold (PPT), while the secondary outcome measures were Cervical Range of Motion (CROM), headache frequency, duration, and medication intake. All outcomes were measured twice: before starting the first session and after four weeks of intervention. After four weeks of intervention, there were statistically significant differences between three groups A, B, and the control group, at all measured variables, with a specific favor to group B (IASTM) (<i>p</i>-value &lt; 0.05). Combining DN or IASTM with conventional treatment improved cervicogenic headache patients’ pain intensity, neck disability, PPT, cervical ROM, headache frequency, headache duration and medication intake. Adding DN or IASTM into cervicogenic headache patient’s management strategies may improve the treatment results. Prospectively registered with ClinicalTrials.gov as Registry ID: NCT05446649.