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Effects of Trigger Point Dry Needling for Nontraumatic Shoulder Pain of Musculoskeletal Origin: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Phys Ther. 2020 Dec 19;:

Authors: Navarro-Santana MJ, Gómez-Chiguano GF, Cleland JA, Arias-Buría JL, Fernández-de-Las-Peñas C, Plaza-Manzano G

Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of trigger point (TrP) dry needling alone or as an adjunct to other interventions on pain intensity and related disability in nontraumatic shoulder pain.
METHODS: Ten databases were searched from inception to January 2020 for randomized clinical trials in which at least 1 group received TrP dry needling for shoulder pain of musculoskeletal origin with outcomes collected on pain intensity and related disability. Data extraction including participant and therapist details, interventions, blinding strategy, blinding assessment outcomes, and results were extracted by 2 reviewers. The risk of bias (RoB, Cochrane Guidelines), methodological quality (PEDro score), and evidence level (GRADE approach) were assessed. The search identified 551 publications with 6 trials eligible for inclusion.
RESULTS: There was moderate quality evidence that TrP dry needling reduces shoulder pain intensity with a small effect (MD = -0.49 points, 95% CI = -0.84 to -0.13; SMD = -0.25, 95% CI = -0.42 to -0.09) and low quality evidence that TrP dry needling improves related disability with a large effect (MD = -9.99 points, 95% CI -15.97 to -4.01; SMD = -1.14, 95% CI -1.81 to -0.47) as compared to a comparison group. The effects on pain were only found at short-term. The RoB was generally low, but the heterogenicity of the results downgraded the evidence level.
CONCLUSIONS: Moderate- to low-quality evidence suggests positive effects of TrP dry needling for pain intensity (small effect) and pain-related disability (large effect) in nontraumatic shoulder pain of musculoskeletal origin, mostly at short term. Future clinical trials investigating long-term effects are needed.
IMPACT: Dry needling is commonly used for the management of musculoskeletal pain. This is the first meta-analysis to examine the effects of dry needling on nontraumatic shoulder pain.

PMID: 33340405 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]