Abstract
The goal of this critically appraised topic was to evaluate the effectiveness of dry needling in decreasing spasticity in stroke patients. Using inclusion criteria of level I, II, and III articles for strongest forms of evidence, peer-reviewed articles published within the last 10 years, analyzed the efficacy of dry needling intervention used to address spasticity in stroke patients, and stroke patient population to locate and select articles to include in appraisal. Exclusion criteria included any level I articles that were reviewed within the included systematic review, studies with qualitative methods and results, articles not published within the last 10 years, and dry needling being used to treat any symptom other than spasticity. Our databases and sites searched included Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Academic Search Premiere, Medline Complete, PubMed, ScienceDirect, SPORTDiscus. A total of 5 articles were selected using listed inclusion and exclusion criteria, using collaboration with instructor, and incorporating feedback to complete project.