Effects of Dry Needling When Applied to the Infraspinatus Muscle in People With Chronic Shoulder Pain
CompletedNot applicableNCT04316793
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Brief summary (from the registry)
Up to 77% of patients with chronic shoulder pain have a trigger point (TrP) in the infraspinatus muscle. These TrPs can lead to pain, limitation of activities and reduced quality of life. Dry needling (DN) is gaining popularity as a treatment for TrPs in physiotherapy. However, its clinical effects remain poorly understood mechanistically and its neurophysiological effects little studied. The primary objective of this study is to determine the feasibility of a larger scale study. The secondary objective of this study is to to explore the immediate neurophysiological, biomechanical and clinical effects of DN and sham needling when applied to TrP of the infraspinatus muscle in people with chronic non-traumatic shoulder pain.
Study details
- Official title
- 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
- Conditions
- Trigger Point Pain, Myofascial
- Chronic Shoulder Pain
- Interventions
- Other: Dry needling
- Other: Sham needling (SN)
- Sponsor
- Université de Sherbrooke
- Collaborators
- Ordre Professionnel de la Physiothérapie du Québec (OPPQ); Centre de recherche du Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke
- Start date
- 2019-03-03
- Primary completion
- 2019-12-20
- Sex
- All
- Age range
- from 18 Years to 65 Years
- Results posted
- No results posted in this snapshot
- Countries
- Canada
- Total sites listed
- 1
Eligibility criteria
Show eligibility criteria (verbatim from the registry)
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Unilateral, chronic non-traumatic shoulder pain (VAS ≥ 2/10; \>3 months) 2. Localized pain in the shoulder region or referred according to the territory of the infraspinatus (Travell and Simons, 1999) 3. Presence of a palpable nodule inside a tight muscle band reproducing the patient's pain Exclusion Criteria: 1. Cancer or metastasis in organs or tissues above the pelvis (\< 5 years) 2. Shoulder capsulitis 3. Shoulder, thorax or mastectomy surgeries 4. Shoulder bone fracture (\< 6 months) 5. C4-C5 or C6 radiculopathy 6. Osteoporosis or excessive atrophy of the infraspinous fossa (infraspinatus \<10 mm) 7. Body mass index (BMI) \> 28 Exclusion (TMS security): 1. Pregnant woman 2. Neurological, psychiatric or epilepsy conditions 3. Implants (e.g. Neurostimulator, pacemaker, cerebral aneurysm clip, screw or plate), metallic foreign body in the eye 4. Head trauma with loss of consciousness
Canadian sites (1)
| Facility | City | Province |
|---|---|---|
| Centre de Recherche sur le Vieillissement | Sherbrooke | Quebec |
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov (US National Library of Medicine), snapshot October 2026. Check the registry for current recruiting status. Record: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04316793