Physiotherapy in management of mechanical shoulder pain

Dry needling in a manual therapy protocol and therapeutic exercises for patients with chronic shoulder pain of unspecified origin

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN30604244

Enrollment

Registered

2016-06-29

Start date

2016-09-16

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2026-03-23

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Shoulder pain of unspecified origin Signs and Symptoms Shoulder pain of unspecified origin

Interventions

Participants are randomised to one of two treatment groups using Epidat 3.1 software. Intervention group: Participants attend six study visits over a period of six weeks. In the first session, parti

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

18 Years to 65 Years

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Aged 18 to 65 years 2. Chronic Shoulder Pain of Unspecified Origin (tendinitis, impingement syndrome, shoulder pain/painful shoulder) with a minimum of 3 months of pathology 3. Presence of active MTrPs or areas of hypersensitivity (upper trapezius, infraspinatus, middle deltoids and subscapularis) 4. Those who have Myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) that reproduce their pain in one or more muscles 5. Provision of informed consent

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Participants who have undergone surgery on the shoulder, who suffered rotator cuff tear, adhesive capsulitis, calcific tendonitis, dislocation of the humeral head, shoulder instability, whiplash, cervical radiculopathy and previous interventions with corticosteroid injections 2. Associated pathologies, such as fear of needles, diabetes, osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia syndrome 3. Have received dry needling in the last six months 4. Receiving other physiotherapy treatment 5. Pregnancy

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
1. Functionality and quality of life is measured using the disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand (DASH) scale at baseline, 1 week, 3 and 6 months 2. Pain is measured using a visual analogue scale (VAS) at baseline, 1 week, 3 and 6 months	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1. Range of Motion (ROM) is measured using a goniometer at baseline, 1 week, 3 and 6 months 2. Medication intake is measured using interview at baseline, 1 week, 3 and 6 months 3. Pressure Pain Threshold (PPT) is measures using a algometer baseline, 1 week, 3 and 6 months	—

Countries

Spain

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Mar 27, 2026