Shoulder pain is a common musculoskeletal problem seen in working population. The main contributor to nontraumatic upper-limb pain, in which chronicity and recurrence of symptoms are common. A common cause of muscle pain is myofascial pain caused by myofascial trigger points (MTrPs). Travel and Simons have described trigger points as 'a tender point on palpation characterized by referring pain, motor dysfunction and autonomic symptoms and usually located in the taut band or the fascia of the muscle. MTrPs in the shoulder muscles produce symptoms similar to those of other shoulder pain syndromes, including pain at rest and with movement, sleep disturbances and pain provocation during impingement tests. MTrPs are classified into active and latent trigger points. An active MTrP causes a clinical pain complaint. It is always tender, prevents full lengthening of the muscle, weakens the muscle, refers a patient-recognized pain on compression, mediates a local twitch response of muscle fibers when adequately stimulated and, when compressed within the patient's pain tolerance, produces referred motor phenomena and often autonomic phenomena, generally in its pain reference zone, and causes tenderness in the pain reference zone. A latent MTrP is clinically quiescent with respect to spontaneous pain; it is painful only when palpated. A latent MTrP may have all the other clinical characteristics of an active MTrP and always has a taut band that increases muscle tension and restricts range of motion. An alternative approach to the management of persons with shoulder problems consists of a treatment aimed at inactivating MTrPs and eliminating factors that perpetuate them. Manual techniques (such as compression on the trigger point or other massage techniques), cooling the skin with ethyl chloride spray and stretch and trigger point needling can inactivate MTrPs. MTrP inactivation may be combined with active exercises, postural correction, extracorporeal shock wave therapy, kinesio taping and relaxation if and when appropriate. Kinesio taping (KT) and dry needling (DN) are two common applications being used in treatment of acute and chronic musculoskeletal problems in recent years. Several therapies have been proposed for MTrPs, including KT, a relatively new method that has become widely used as a therapeutic tool in a variety of prevention and rehabilitation protocols. KT is an elastic cotton adhesive tape which is latex-free and can be used on any joint or muscle. Te exact mechanism by which KT functions remain unknown, though it is thought that its effectiveness may be mediated by cutaneous mechanoreceptors which would provide sensorimotor and proprioceptive feedback, and/or by mechanical restraint and inhibitory and excitatory nociceptive stimuli [16]. Various groups have shown that the use of KT can be beneficial, for example, by decreasing pain or by increasing range of motion (ROM) in shoulder pathologies. Among the non-pharmacological options, DN, despite the controversy, is currently considered one of the most effective interventions for the direct inactivation of MTrPs and is gaining attention for the treatment of MTrPs in musculoskeletal pain by targeting trigger points and non- trigger point structures. It is a skilled intervention that uses a thin filiform needle to penetrate the skin and stimulate underlying trigger points, muscular and connective tissues without the use of injectate. A systematic review with meta-analysis reported that DN, compared with sham/placebo, can decrease pain immediately after treatment and in four weeks among patients with upper quarter myofascial pain syndrome. Another systematic review with metaanalysis reported that DN can be recommended to relieve MTrP pain of neck and shoulders in short and medium terms, but wet needling is more effective than DN in reducing MTrP pain in neck and shoulders in medium term.
The aim of the current study was to investigate the effects of KT and DN combined with exercise on pain, range of motion (ROM), and upper extremity function in patients with common shoulder disorders.