Effectiveness of Dry Needling as a Treatment of Shoulder Myofascial Pain Syndrome in Spinal Cord Injury Patients

Effectiveness of Dry Needling as a Treatment of Shoulder Myofascial Pain Syndrome in Spinal Cord Injury Patients: a Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Shoulder pain in people with spinal cord injury is one of the most prevalent in acute and chronic patients because of weakness in shoulder periarticular muscles, and also because of overuse of these part of the body in assistive devices.

This study aims to evidence if dry needling (a physiotherapy technique) is also useful in patients with spinal cord injury, and how long it could hold out without or less pain.

Inclusion Criteria:

• At least one year after Spinal Cord Injury (chronic patients).
• Spinal Cord Injury under C5-C6 spinal level with American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) classification.
• Patients with shoulder pain and at least one active trigger point in infraspinatus muscle.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Be apprehensive to the needles (belonephobia).
• Immunosuppression.
• Drug instability.
• Other medical causes that, under medical prescription, dry needling in the shoulder are discouraged.