Effectiveness of Dry needling as a treatment for Chronic tinnitus

Introduction: Tinnitus is an abnormal perception of sound in the absence of an external sound source, representing a prevalent condition with diverse pathophysiology. The presence of myofascial trigger points seems to be associated with tinnitus, suggesting that deactivating these trigger points may lead to an improvement in tinnitus. Objective: Our hypothesis is that dry needling, by deactivating trigger points, may result in tinnitus improvement. Methods: This is an open-label controlled clinical study involving 20 participants with tinnitus lasting more than 3 months and presenting trigger points in the cervical and masticatory musculature. Eleven patients underwent dry needling procedures weekly for 3 weeks, while the remaining 9 participants formed the control group. EVA and THI scales were applied at the beginning and end of the study to assess tinnitus intensity. Results: THI scores in the intervention group significantly decreased compared to the control group, although causation cannot be firmly established due to the sample size. The VAS did not show temporal differences or variations between the groups. Conclusion: Dry needling holds the potential to reduce the impact of tinnitus in individuals with trigger points, even when including patients with associated hearing loss