Introduction: Neck pain is primarily a consequence of a sedentary lifestyle and the use of screen devices, which lead to overstrain and subsequent pain. Dry needling is one of the therapies that is minimally invasive, inexpensive, and simple to perform, and it can be used to treat various soft tissue structures. Purpose: The aim of this thesis is to analyze the effects of dry needling on myofascial trigger points in patients with nonspecific neck pain and to determine the duration of its effects. Methods: Literature search was conducted in the PubMed online database. Results: We analyzed five studies, in which two compared the effects of dry needling with the effects of manual release, one compared the effects of dry needling with a control group without intervention, one compared the combination of dry needling and manual therapy with the combination of sham dry needling and manual therapy, and one analyzed dry needling on different types of myofascial trigger points. All studies reported a reduction in pain, an increase in the range of motion, and a decrease in pain sensitivity to pressure in favor of the experimental groups from the period immediately after the therapy up to one month post-therapy. Discussion and conclusion: We cannot confirm that dry needling on myofascial trigger points in patients with nonspecific neck pain is effective as a standalone form of therapy, as the studies included only one or two therapy sessions and measured the effects shortly thereafter. The results cannot be generalized to long-term effects, nor can we conclude what the effects would be with a greater number of interventions, so further research is needed.
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