ArticleArchives of physiotherapy2021
Neurophysiological and psychophysical effects of dry versus sham needling of the infraspinatus muscle in patients with chronic shoulder pain: a randomized feasibility study.
Article in Archives of physiotherapy, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04316793 (Neurophysiological, Biomechanical and Clinical Effects of Dry Needling Versus Sham Needling When Applied to the Infraspinatus Muscle in People With Chronic Shoulder Pain), which is not on this map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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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.
Neurophysiological, Biomechanical and Clinical Effects of Dry Needling Versus Sham Needling When Applied to the Infraspinatus Muscle in People With Chronic Shoulder Pain: a Randomized Pilot Study
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.
- Neurophysiological effects of latent trigger point dry needling on spinal reflexes.Journal of neurophysiology · 2025Trial
- Ultrasound-guided percutaneous needle electrolysis for musculoskeletal injuries: A scoping review considering implications for athletic populations.South African journal of sports medicine · 2026Review
- The Effect of Dry Needling on Sleep Quality in Individuals With Musculoskeletal Pain Disorders.Pain research & management · 2026Review
- Vestibular Well-Being Benefits of a Single Session of Functional Neurology Intervention on Saccadic Stimuli Dysfunction.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Placebo and nocebo effects of percutaneous needle electrolysis and dry-needling: an intra and inter-treatment sessions analysis of a three-arm randomized double-blinded controlled trial in patients with patellar tendinopathy.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDry needling (DN) is increasingly used for treating myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) and has shown significant effects on pain and function. This study aimed to assess feasibility of conducting a randomized sham-controlled trial and to collect preliminary data on the effects of infraspinatus DN on corticospinal excitability and mechanical pain sensitivity.
methodThis randomized feasibility study included adults with chronic non-traumatic shoulder pain and a infraspinatus MTrP. Participants were randomized to receive real DN or sham DN in the infraspinatus MTrP. Feasibility outcomes included data pertaining to recruitment, retention of participants, completeness and safety of assessment procedures. Neurophysiological and psychophysical outcomes included corticospinal excitability and mechanical pain sensitivity measured by active motor threshold (aMT) and pressure pain threshold (PPT), respectively. They were assessed at baseline, immediately after and 24 h post-intervention.
resultsTwenty-one participants were recruited over a 6-month period. Nineteen participants completed the treatment and follow-up assessment. Motor evoked potential responses were discernible in all but 1 participant. Only 1 minor adverse event related to transcranial magnetic stimulation (mild headache) affected the measurements. No DN adverse effects were recorded in both groups. An overall completeness rate of 81% was reached, with 70% completeness in the DN group and 91% in the sham group. Data analysis revealed that real DN increased corticospinal excitability (reduced aMT) 24 h post-intervention (Mdn = - 5.96% MSO, IQR = 5.17, p = 0.04) and that sham DN triggered similar responses immediately after the intervention (Mdn = - 1.93% MSO, IQR = 1.11, p = 0.03). Increased mechanical pain sensitivity (reduced PPT) was significant only in the sham group, both immediately (Mdn = - 0.44 kg/cm
conclusionThe present study demonstrates the feasibility of quantifying the neurophysiological and psychophysical effects of DN, and provides recommendations and guidelines for future studies. Moreover, it provides preliminary evidence that DN may increase corticospinal excitability of the infraspinatus muscle in patients with chronic shoulder pain and that the relationship of neurophysiological and psychophysical effects is promising to better understand its mechanisms of action.
trial registrationNCT04316793 ; retrospectively registered November 3, 2020.
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