Safety and Anatomical Accuracy of Dry Needling of the Quadratus Femoris Muscle: A Cadaveric Study
Deep dry needling (DDN) is commonly applied in physiotherapy to treat musculoskeletal pain. The quadratus femoris (QF) muscle, located in the ischiofemoral space (IFS), represents a clinically relevant yet anatomically complex target. However, limited evidence exists on the safety, accuracy, and rel...
| Autores: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2025 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universidad Europea (UEM) |
| Repositorio: | ABACUS. Repositorio de Producción Científica |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:abacus.universidadeuropea.com:11268/16368 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/11268/16368 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Punción Seca Ultrasonido Disección Anatomía Investigación médica Tecnología médica Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages |
| Sumario: | Deep dry needling (DDN) is commonly applied in physiotherapy to treat musculoskeletal pain. The quadratus femoris (QF) muscle, located in the ischiofemoral space (IFS), represents a clinically relevant yet anatomically complex target. However, limited evidence exists on the safety, accuracy, and reliability of non-ultrasound-guided DDN in this region. Aims: To assess the safety and accuracy of a standardized, non-ultrasound-guided DDN approach to the QF muscle, and to evaluate the intra- and inter-rater reliability of key procedural outcomes. Additionally, to determine the agreement between ultrasound imaging and anatomical dissection as validation methods for needle placement. Methods: An experimental cross-sectional study was conducted on five fresh cadavers (n = 24 approaches) by two physiotherapists with different DN experience. A standardized dry needling protocol was executed without ultrasound guidance, and anatomical and procedural variables were documented. Reliability (intra/inter-rater) was assessed for needle size, sciatic nerve (SN) puncture, IFS targeting, and overall success. In a subset, needle placement was validated through ultrasound and subsequent dissection. Results: The IFS was reached in 70.8% of procedures, and the SN was punctured in 16.7%. Inter-rater reliability for needle size was poor (κ = 0.04). Agreement between ultrasound and dissection was excellent for the ischiofemoral location and success (100%) and moderate for non SN puncture (90%; κ = 0.62). Conclusions: The standardized protocol demonstrated moderate accuracy and revealed a relevant clinical risk when targeting the quadratus femoris muscle. While inter-rater reliability was limited, agreement between ultrasound and dissection methods was high, supporting their complementary use for validating needle placement in anatomically complex procedures. |
|---|