Effects of Dry Needling on the Behavior of the Shoulder Muscles

April 27, 2026 updated by: Prof. Dr. Daniel Pecos Martín, University of Alcala

Effect of Dry Needling Technique on Shoulder Muscle Functionality in Subjects With and Without Shoulder Pain.

The main objective of this study will be to evaluate the effects of the application of the dry needling technique on the activity of the rotator cuff muscles in the shoulder.

The evaluation of the effects of the application of the dry needling technique will be carried out in subjects with and without shoulder pain.To do this, muscle strength, possible thickness changes in the muscle and electromyographic activity will be measured before and immediately after the application of a dry needling technique.

Likewise, other variables will be measured such as the pressure pain threshold (PPT), pain with a Numeric Verbal Scale, kinesiophobia and catastrophism, the shoulder pain and disability index (SPADI) and the influence of expectations about dry needling.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

40

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

  • Name: Centro Investigacion Fisioterapia y Dolor

Study Locations

  • Spain
    • Madrid
      • Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain, 2805

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Subjects of legal age
  • Subjects without shoulder pain or with unilateral shoulder pain of > 3 months duration.
  • Have shoulder mobility of 90º of abduction and at least 30º of glenohumeral external rotation.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Have neck pain.
  • Whiplash
  • Having had trauma to the shoulder.
  • Having fibromyalgia.
  • Be pregnant.
  • Being afraid of needles.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Real dry needling
With the subject lying supine, a dry needling technique will be applied to the infraspinatus muscle.
Other: Real dry needling
With the subject lying supine, a dry needling technique will be applied to the infraspinatus muscle. First, the most hyperalgesic point in the muscle will be located. Subsequently, Hong's fast-in and fast-out technique will be applied. Ten incisions will be made
Sham Comparator: Sham dry needling
With the subject lying supine, a sham dry needling technique will be applied to the infraspinatus muscle, simulating the real procedure.
Other: Sham dry needling
With the subject lying supine, a sham dry needling technique will be applied to the infraspinatus muscle. First, the most hyperalgesic point in the muscle will be located. Subsequently, Hong's fast-in and fast-out technique will be applied. Ten incisions will be made, simulating the real technique

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Muscle strength
Time Frame: Change from Baseline at 15 minutes.
The isometric strength will be assessed using a handheld dynamometer (Hand held dynamometer, MicroFET3; Hoggan Health Industries Inc.). The strength measures will included external rotation at 90° abduction in the prone position. The dynamometer will be placed just proximal to the just proximal to the styloid process of the wrist joint. Subjects will be asked to produce a 5-second maximal contraction. Muscular strength will be measured in kilograms
Change from Baseline at 15 minutes.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Muscle function
Time Frame: Change from Baseline at 15 minutes.
Muscle function will be measured by an ultrasound scanner with a linear transducer with a frequency range of 6-16MHz (X6-16L, 5cm footprint) will be used. The unit of measurement used will be millimeters. Muscle thickness at rest and contraction will be measured. On the other hand, the percentage of change in thickness will be measured using the equation (Contraction thickness - Rest thickness) * 100 / Rest thickness.
Change from Baseline at 15 minutes.
Shoulder Pain
Time Frame: Change from Baseline at 15 minutes.
Pain intensity will be measured using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain. The VAS is a 100-mm line, oriented horizontally, with one end representing "no pain" and ten the other end representing "worst pain." Subjects will be asked to rate their current pain with a mark on the scale.
Change from Baseline at 15 minutes.
Disability
Time Frame: Change from Baseline at 15 minutes.
Disability will be measured by Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI).The Spanish version of SPADI has high test-retest reliability (ICC 0.89-0.93).The clinically important minimum difference varies between 8 and 13.2. The minimum value is 0 and de maximum value is 100
Change from Baseline at 15 minutes.
Pressure Pain Threshold (PPT)
Time Frame: Change from Baseline at 15 minutes.
An algometer Wagner FPI 10-WA will be used to determine the PPT in infraespinatus muscle.
Change from Baseline at 15 minutes.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Alcala

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Daniel Pecos-Martin, PhD, Alcala University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

May 6, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 20, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 20, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 1, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 1, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

May 3, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 1, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 27, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • CEID/2024/1/004

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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