ABSTRACT
[Objective] The purpose of this study was to conduct a prospective survey of adverse events in athletes using press take needles (PTNs).[Methods] The survey subjects were 23 female junior-high-school basketball players, and the method was a prospective survey study. The PTNs (0.6 mm diameter; PYONEX manufactured by Seirin) were applied to a total of six sites on the anterior surfaces of the right and left thighs by the athletes themselves before practice and removed after practice. The survey of adverse events was repeated as many times as possible over a one-year period and comprised the following questions: (1) Did you experience any problems during practice today? (multiple answers); and (2) Did the PTNs negatively affect your physical performance? (single answer). The frequency of adverse events was calculated on the basis of the number of participants and the site of application.[Results] In total, 25 surveys were conducted over the one-year period, with 18 athletes participating (mean age: 13.5 years). On average, the athletes were surveyed 20.1 ± 4.1 times. The total number of participants for all 25 surveys was 362, and the total number of PTNs used was 2,172. In terms of the total number of participants, the frequency of adverse events was 20.99% (76 cases) and that of PTN-related adverse events that negatively affected physical performance was 5.80% (21 cases). In terms of the total number of PTNs used , the frequency of adverse events was 9.16% (199 cases) and that of PTN-related adverse events that negatively affected physical performance was 2.58% (56 cases). The most common adverse event was "prickling" (3.89%; 88 cases), followed by "PTN was coming off" (3.14% ; 71 cases), "bothering" (2.43%; 55 cases), and "uncomfortable feeling" (2.30%; 52 cases), whereas the number of other adverse events was very few. No adverse events requiring medical treatment occurred, and none of the athletes stopped practicing due to adverse events.[Discussion and Conclusion] The adverse events in athletes were mostly minor ones such as "prickling" and "uncomfortable feeling ". However, the frequency of adverse events was low, indicating that PTNs are safe for athletes.