The global impact of dry needling research: A bibliometric analysis of myofascial trigger point treatment from 1979 to 2024

Background: Myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) are a common feature of musculoskeletal pain, and dry needling (DN) has emerged as a widely used non-pharmacological treatment since 1979. This study aimed to conduct a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of DN research related to MTrPs.
Methods: Data from Scopus and Web of Science (1979–2024) were analyzed using ScientoPy, Biblioshiny, VOSviewer, and Microsoft Excel to assess publication trends, authorship, keyword patterns, and institutional contributions.
Results: A total of 618 documents with 14,733 citations were identified. Journal articles were the most common publication type (n = 487; 10,067 citations). Research activity peaked in 2021 (72 publications). The United States of America (USA) (191 publications) and Spain (155 publications) were the most prolific countries. Universidad Rey Juan Carlos led institutional output (80 publications), and Fernandez-De-Las-Peñas was the most productive author (48 publications). The Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies published the most articles (n = 62), while the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation had the highest citation impact (961 citations). The most cited article was Hong’s 1994 study comparing lidocaine injection with dry needling (500 citations). Frequently used keywords included “dry needling,” “trigger point,” and “myofascial pain syndrome.”
Conclusion: DN research has grown steadily, particularly since 2010, with significant contributions from the USA and Spain. Expanding geographic diversity and cross-cultural research will be essential to strengthening the global evidence base and improving clinical applications of dry needling.

背景：肌筋膜触发点（Myofascial Trigger Points, MTrPs）是肌肉骨骼疼痛的常见临床表现，干针疗法（Dry Needling, DN）自1979年起已成为应用广泛的非药物治疗手段。本研究旨在针对与肌筋膜触发点相关的干针疗法研究开展全面的文献计量分析。

方法：本研究针对1979年至2024年间收录于斯高帕斯数据库（Scopus）与Web of Science的文献数据展开分析，采用ScientoPy、Biblioshiny、VOSviewer及微软Excel（Microsoft Excel）工具，对文献发表趋势、作者贡献、关键词分布及机构产出情况进行评估。

结果：本研究共检索到618篇相关文献，总引用量达14733次。其中期刊论文为最主要的文献类型（共487篇，累计引用10067次）。研究活跃度在2021年达到峰值，当年发表文献72篇。美国（USA）与西班牙分别以191篇、155篇的产出量成为该领域的高产国家。胡安卡洛斯国王大学（Universidad Rey Juan Carlos）的机构产出量最高，共计80篇；费尔南德斯-德拉斯-佩尼亚斯（Fernandez-De-Las-Peñas）则是最高产的作者，累计发表48篇相关文献。《身体工作与运动疗法杂志》（The Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies）刊载的相关文献数量最多（共62篇），而《物理医学与康复档案》（Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation）的文献引用影响力最高，总引用量达961次。被引次数最高的文献为Hong于1994年开展的利多卡因注射与干针疗法对比研究，累计被引500次。高频关键词包括“干针疗法”“触发点”及“肌筋膜疼痛综合征”。

结论：干针疗法相关研究呈稳步增长态势，2010年以来增长尤为显著，美国与西班牙为此领域做出了重要贡献。未来需进一步拓展研究的地理覆盖范围并开展跨文化研究，以夯实干针疗法的全球循证基础，优化其临床应用。