Treatment Validation for Myofascial Pain

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to see if a body test called the NUN biomarker can track changes in chronic low back pain after dry needling and predict who will feel better. This study is for adults with chronic low back pain from muscle pain (Myofacial Pain). The main questions are: * Does the biomarker drop when pain improves? * Can it predict who benefits most? * Do higher starting levels mean better results with real dry needling? Investigators will compare real and fake (sham) dry needling using ultrasound, muscle pressure tests, and pain reports before and after treatment.

Detailed Description

The goal of this clinical trial is to see if a special body measurement biomarker (called the NUN biomarker) can show changes after dry needling treatment and if it can predict who will get the most pain relief. The study focuses on adults with chronic low back pain (cLBP) that also has a muscle pain (myofascial pain, MP) component. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Does the NUN biomarker go down after dry needling when muscle pain gets better? 2. Can the biomarker predict who will feel better after treatment? 3. Do people with higher biomarker levels at the start respond better to dry needling than to a fake (sham) treatment? Investigators will compare real dry needling to sham dry needling (fake treatment) to see if the biomarker changes more with real treatment and if this matches pain relief. Participants will: 1. Get either real dry needling or sham dry needling in a single-blinded setup (participant won't know which one they're getting). 2. Have ultrasound imaging to measure the biomarker before and after treatment. 3. Take a pressure pain test to see how sensitive their muscles are. 4. Report their pain levels after treatment.

Eligibility Criteria

Interventions