Table 1.
Database formulas during the literature search.
| PubMed Search Formula |
| #1 “Dry Needling” (Mesh) OR “Trigger Point Acupuncture” (Title/Abstract) OR “Needling Therapy” (Title/Abstract) OR “Intramuscular Stimulation” (Title/Abstract) |
| #2 “Placebos” (Mesh) OR “Control Groups” (Mesh) OR “Physical Therapy Modalities” (Mesh) |
| OR “Cervical Pain” (Title/Abstract) OR “Mechanical Neck Pain” (Title/Abstract) OR “Myofascial Neck Pain” (Title/Abstract) |
| #4 #1 AND #2 AND #3 |
| CINAHL/Medline (via EBSCO) Search Formula |
| #1 “Dry Needling” OR “Trigger Point Acupuncture” OR “Needling Therapy” OR “Intramuscular Stimulation” |
| #2 “Placebos” OR “Control Groups” OR “Physical Therapy Modalities” |
| #3 “Neck Pain” OR “Non-Specific Neck Pain” OR “Cervicalgia” OR “Cervical Pain” OR “Mechanical Neck Pain” OR “Myofascial Neck Pain” |
| #4 #1 AND #2 AND #3 |
| SCOPUS Search Formula |
| TITLE-ABS-KEY (“Dry Needling” OR “Trigger Point Acupuncture” OR “Needling Therapy” OR “Intramuscular Stimulation”) AND TITLE-ABS-KEY (“Placebos” OR “Control Groups” OR “Physical Therapy Modalities”) AND TITLE-ABS-KEY (“Neck Pain” OR “Non-Specific Neck Pain” OR “Cervicalgia” OR “Cervical Pain” OR “Mechanical Neck Pain” OR “Myofascial Neck Pain”) |
| PEDro Search Formula |
| Abstract & Title: Neck Pain, Myofascial Pain Syndrome |
| Therapy: Dry Needling |
| Method: Clinical trial |
| When Searching: AND |
| WOS Search Formula |
| (“Dry Needling” OR “Trigger Point Acupuncture” OR “Needling Therapy” OR “Intramuscular Stimulation”) AND (“Placebos” OR “Control Groups” OR “Physical Therapy Modalities”) AND (“Neck Pain” OR “Non-Specific Neck Pain” OR “Cervicalgia” OR “Cervical Pain” OR “Mechanical Neck Pain” OR “Myofascial Neck Pain”) |
| Cochrane Library Search Formula |
| #1 Mesh: Dry Needling |
| #2 Mesh: Placebos |
| #3 Mesh: Neck Pain |
| #4 Trigger Point Acupuncture |
| #5 Needling Therapy |
| #6 Intramuscular Stimulation |
| #7 Mesh: Control Groups |
| #8 Mesh: Physical Therapy Modalities |
| #9 Nonspecific Neck Pain |
| #10 Cervicalgia |
| #11 Cervical Pain |
| #12 Mechanical Neck Pain |
| #13 Myofascial Neck Pain |
| #14 #1 OR #4 OR #5 OR #6 |
| #15 #2 OR #7 OR #8 |
| #16 #3 OR #9 OR #10 OR #11 OR #12 OR #13 |
| #17 #14 AND #15 AND #16 |