ArticleBMC musculoskeletal disorders2011
High prevalence of shoulder girdle muscles with myofascial trigger points in patients with shoulder pain.
Article in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 4 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 43 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Referred Pain Patterns in Trigger Point 2 of the Infraspinatus Muscle in Patients With Shoulder Pain
Comparison of Efficacy of Dry Needling and Kinesio-taping on Myofascial Trigger Points in Patients With Common Shoulder Disorders
Does Dry Needling Change Shoulder Muscle Blood Flow, Motions, and Pain Sensitivity?
The Effects of Dry Needling on Muscle Blood Flow of the Infraspinatus in Individuals with Shoulder Pain - a Randomized Controlled Trial
Who cites it
43 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Comparison of dry needling and trigger point manual therapy in patients with neck and upper back myofascial pain syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis.The Journal of manual & manipulative therapy · 2021Pooled it
- The prevalence of myofascial trigger points in neck and shoulder-related disorders: a systematic review of the literature.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2018Pooled it
- Intramuscular electrical stimulation added to home exercise for myofascial shoulder pain: a randomized controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2026Trial
- The effects of dry needling on muscle blood flow of the infraspinatus muscle in individuals with shoulder pain - a randomized clinical trial.The Journal of manual & manipulative therapy · 2025Trial
- A comparative study of sonographic and clinical parameters in patient with upper trapezius muscle trigger point following dry needling and intramuscular electrical stimulation: a randomized control trial.Chiropractic & manual therapies · 2025Trial
- Dry needling in a manual physiotherapy and therapeutic exercise protocol for patients with chronic mechanical shoulder pain of unspecific origin: a protocol for a randomized control trial.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2017Trial
- Responsiveness of Myofascial Trigger Points to Single and Multiple Trigger Point Release Massages: A Randomized, Placebo Controlled Trial.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation · 2017Trial
- [Manual trigger point therapy of shoulder pain : Randomized controlled study of effectiveness].Schmerz (Berlin, Germany) · 2016Trial
- Dry Needling on the Infraspinatus Latent and Active Myofascial Trigger Points in Older Adults With Nonspecific Shoulder Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Journal of geriatric physical therapy (2001)Trial
- Efficacy of Deep Dry Needling on Latent Myofascial Trigger Points in Older Adults With Nonspecific Shoulder Pain: A Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial Pilot Study.Journal of geriatric physical therapy (2001)Trial
- Which Myofascial Alterations Contribute to Functional Limitations and Perceived Performance Deficits in Water Polo Athletes.International journal of sports physical therapy · 2026Article
- Determining Pain Pressure Thresholds and Muscle Stiffness Cut-Offs to Discriminate Latent Myofascial Trigger Points and Asymptomatic Infraspinatus Muscle Locations: A Diagnostic Accuracy Study.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Shoulder Dysfunction in Parkinson's Disease: Implications of Motor Subtypes, Disease Severity, and Spinopelvic Alignment.Journal of movement disorders · 2025Article
- Efficacy of Myofascial Release Therapy and Positional Release Therapy in Patients with Upper Trapezius Trigger Points: Study Protocol of a Double-blinded Randomized Clinical Trial.International journal of therapeutic massage & bodywork · 2024Article
- High Medial Longitudinal Arch of the Foot and Latent Trigger Points in Lower Limb Muscles.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Ultrasound verification of palpation-based dry needling techniques of rotator cuff muscles: a prospective feasibility trial.The Journal of manual & manipulative therapy · 2024Observational
- Article
- Anatomical analysis of the motor endplate zones of the suprascapular nerve to the infraspinatus muscle and its clinical significance in managing pain disorder.Journal of anatomy · 2023Article
- Device for Dual Ultrasound and Dry Needling Trigger Points Treatment.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Altered muscle recruitment patterns during isometric shoulder abduction in individuals with chronic upper trapezius pain: a cross sectional study.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundShoulder pain is reported to be highly prevalent and tends to be recurrent or persistent despite medical treatment. The pathophysiological mechanisms of shoulder pain are poorly understood. Furthermore, there is little evidence supporting the effectiveness of current treatment protocols. Although myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) are rarely mentioned in relation to shoulder pain, they may present an alternative underlying mechanism, which would provide new treatment targets through MTrP inactivation. While previous research has demonstrated that trained physiotherapists can reliably identify MTrPs in patients with shoulder pain, the percentage of patients who actually have MTrPs remains unclear. The aim of this observational study was to assess the prevalence of muscles with MTrPs and the association between MTrPs and the severity of pain and functioning in patients with chronic non-traumatic unilateral shoulder pain.
methodsAn observational study was conducted. Subjects were recruited from patients participating in a controlled trial studying the effectiveness of physical therapy on patients with unilateral non-traumatic shoulder pain. Sociodemographic and patient-reported symptom scores, including the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) Questionnaire, and Visual Analogue Scales for Pain were compared with other studies. To test for differences in age, gender distribution, and education level between the current study population and the populations from Dutch shoulder studies, the one sample T-test was used. One observer examined all subjects (n = 72) for the presence of MTrPs. Frequency distributions, means, medians, standard deviations, and 95% confidence intervals were calculated for descriptive purposes. The Spearman's rank-order correlation (ρ) was used to test for association between variables.
resultsMTrPs were identified in all subjects. The median number of muscles with MTrPs per subject was 6 (active MTrPs) and 4 (latent MTrPs). Active MTrPs were most prevalent in the infraspinatus (77%) and the upper trapezius muscles (58%), whereas latent MTrPs were most prevalent in the teres major (49%) and anterior deltoid muscles (38%). The number of muscles with active MTrPs was only moderately correlated with the DASH score.
conclusionThe prevalence of muscles containing active and latent MTrPs in a sample of patients with chronic non-traumatic shoulder pain was high.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.