Shock treatment: can zapping needles beat muscle pain?

This study looked at whether combining dry needling (thin needles inserted into muscle knots) with electrical stimulation works better than either treatment alone for relieving pain. Forty healthy adults with painful trigger points in their calf muscles were randomly assigned to one of four groups: dry needling plus electrical stimulation, dry needling alone, electrical stimulation alone, or a sham (fake) treatment. Researchers measured pain threshold and muscle activity to compare the approaches.