Evaluating the Effectiveness of Attention Distraction Method on Perception of Pain During the Use of Myofascial Trigger Point Release Technique

Background: Distraction techniques are identified as cognitive processes that interfere with pain perception by preventing transmission of pain signals to the brain. The focus of these techniques is to direct the attention of the patient to a different stimulus other than the pain sensation. Dry needling (DN) is a mildly invasive technique which is used to treat pain associated with Myofacial trigger points (MTrPs). Even though previous studies have evaluated the influence of distraction techniques on the pain perception during various interventions, the effects during DN are not available in literature.

Objectives: This study evaluated the influence of distraction technique on the perception of pain during MTrP-DN technique and also the influence of age and gender on the differences of pain perception.

Methods: Sixty patients with non-specific neck pain were randomly assigned to either the control or interventional groups. Only DN was performed for the control group, while patients in the intervention group, were asked to count backwards from 10 to 1 while slowly breathing in and out without letting their attention be distracted during the DN. The level of pain perception was evaluated immediately after DN by using numeric rating scale (NRS). The ethical approval was obtained by the Ethics Committee of the National Hospital, Kandy.

Results: A significant difference was noted (p<0 0.05) in NRS pain scores between control and the intervention groups regardless of the gender and the age category.

Conclusion: The counting down distraction technique appears to be effective in improving pain perception during DN in the patients with non-specific neck pain.