Table 2.
Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the participants.
| Participants | Intervention | Outcome (Tool) | Main Results | Follow-Up | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Author | N (Sex Ratio) | Mean Age (SD) | Diagnosis | DN Group | Control Group | ||||
| Itoh et al., 2008 [34] | 15 | DN: 74.20 (8.10) Control: 73.30 (6.50) |
Knee OA | 5 sessions (1 per week) (n = 8) |
5 sessions of sham DN (1 per week) (n = 7) |
-Pain (VAS) -Physical function (WOMAC) |
↑ VAS and WOMAC in DN group vs. control group | ↑ VAS and WOMAC in DN group vs. control group at 10 weeks of follow-up but not at 20 weeks of follow-up | |
| Ceballos-Laita et al., 2019 [37] | 30 (17M/13F) | DN: 55.5 (4.70)Control: 58.6 (6.60) | Hip OA | 3 sessions (1 per week) (n = 15) |
3 sessions of sham DN (1 per week) (n = 15) |
-Pain (VAS) -Physical function (SPWT) |
↑ VAS and SPWT in DN group vs. control group | No data | |
| Sanchez-Romero et al., 2020 [35] | 62 (18M/44F) | DN: 72.97 (6.29) Control: 71.65 (5.00) |
Knee OA | 6 sessions (1 per week) + Exercise therapy. (n =31) |
Exercise therapy (n =31) |
-Pain (VAS) -Physical function (WOMAC) |
No between-groups differences | No between-groups differences at 6, 9 or 12 months of follow-up | |
| Ceballos-Laita et al., 2021 [38] | 45 (20M/25F) | DN: 57.53 (3.88) Control: 54.67 (4.48) Other: 58.20 (5.08) |
Hip OA | 3 sessions (1 per week) (n = 15) |
3 sessions of sham DN (1 per week) (n = 15) |
No additional intervention (n = 15) |
-Pain (VAS) -Physical function (WOMAC PF) |
↑ VAS, and WOMAC PF in DN group vs. control and sham groups | No data |
| Farazdaghi et al., 2021 [40] | 40 (40F) | NR | Knee OA | 3 sessions (3 per week) (n = 20) |
3 sessions of sham DN in one week (n = 20) |
-Pain (VAS) -Physical function (SPWT) |
↑ VAS and SPWT in DN group vs. control group | No data | |
| Vervullens et al., 2021 [36] | 61 (27M/34F) | DN: 63.00 (10.00) Control: 66.00 (10.00) |
Knee OA | 1 session (n = 31) |
1 session of sham DN (n = 30) | -Pain (VAS) | No between-groups differences | No data | |
| Ceballos-Laita et al., 2022 [39] | 38 (18M/20F) | DN: 53.60 (4.30) Control: 55.0 (4.10) |
Hip OA | 3 sessions (1 per week) (n = 19) |
Self-stretching protocol for 3 weeks (n = 19) |
-Pain (WOMAC P) -Physical function (WOMAC PF) |
No between-groups differences | No data |
M: male; F: female; SD: standard deviation; DN: dry needling; OA: osteoarthritis; VAS: visual analogue scale; WOMAC: Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Index of Osteoarthritis; WOMAC-P: Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Index of Osteoarthritis Pain subscale; WOMAC-PF: Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Index of Osteoarthritis Physical function subscale; SPWT: self-paced walk test.