Dry Needling on the Infraspinatus Latent and Active Myofascial Trigger Points in Older Adults With Nonspecific Shoulder Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
César Calvo-Lobo, Soraya Pacheco-da-Costa, Jorge Martínez-Martínez and 3 others
PMID 26760574WHAT IT FOUND
Adding dry needling of a latent trigger point to active trigger point needling reduced pain and tenderness in older adults with shoulder pain more than active needling alone.
The benefit lasted one week.
Key findings
01The group receiving dry needling on both active and latent infraspinatus trigger points had significantly greater reductions in pain intensity and increases in pressure pain threshold in the anterior deltoid and extensor carpi radialis brevis compared to the group receiving dry needling on only the active trigger point.
02There was no significant difference in grip strength improvement between the two groups.
03Adverse effects were minimal, with only 4 patients (6.35%) experiencing a small local hematoma.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study lacked a placebo or no-treatment control group, making it difficult to separate the specific effects of the needling from non-specific effects like patient expectation or the therapeutic encounter. Blinding of patients was not possible due to the nature of the intervention (needle sensation, twitch responses), which could bias subjective outcomes like pain. The follow-up period was short (one week), so long-term effects are unknown. The number of local twitch responses elicited during needling was not recorded, which is a factor that may influence treatment efficacy. Participants were recruited from a care center, which may limit generalizability to community-dwelling older adults.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest and stated there was no source of funding.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that dry needling is superior to no treatment or that it is a permanent cure. The study compared two types of needling, not needling against a placebo, and the benefits were only measured up to one week post-intervention.