Objectives: To investigate the immediate effects of a dry needling puncture on the viscoelastic properties (tone, stiffness and elasticity) of a trigger point (TP) located in the infraspinatus muscle in participants with non-traumatic chronic shoulder pain.~Methods: Forty-eight individuals who presented non-traumatic chronic shoulder pain were recruited. The presence of a TP in the infraspinatus muscle of the painful side was confirmed by an experienced physiotherapist with a palpatory exam according to Travell and Simons criteria. The TP was marked and the viscoelastic properties including tone, stiffness and elasticity were measured with the MyotonPro device by an evaluator. After the first set of measurements (T1), an experienced physiotherapist applied a dry needling puncture to the TP with a pistoning technique to obtain a local twitch response (LTR) with an Optimed 40 x 0.30 mm single use acupuncture needle. The same set of measurements was repeated immediately after the dry needling (T2) and 30 minutes later (T3). Repeated measures ANOVA and post-hoc tests were used to assess changes in viscoelastic properties over time with a significant level set at 0.05.
The immediate effects (0-30 minutes) of a dry needling intervention on a trigger point on their viscoelastic properties (tone, elasticity and stiffness)