Shoulder PainPEDNNCT07637760
Dry Needling or Percutaneous Electrolysis for Managing Myofascial Trigger Points?
A study testing Dry needling, Percutaneous electrolysis (Low Intensity - Long Time) and Manual therapy in people with Shoulder Pain, run by Universidad Complutense de Madrid at 2 sites in Spain.
Trial summary
Dry needling (DN) and percutaneous electrolysis (PE) are minimally invasive physiotherapy techniques commonly used for the management of myofascial trigger points. DN consists of inserting a fine filiform needle into a hyperirritable area within a taut band of skeletal muscle, with the aim of eliciting local twitch… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Shoulder Pain
- What is being tested?
- Dry needling, Percutaneous electrolysis (Low Intensity - Long Time) and Manual therapy
- Type of treatment
- Pill or oral medicine, Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 60 participants
- Where
- 2 sitesSpain
- Study dates
- 15 Sep 2026to 1 Feb 2027
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Adults
- Presence of shoulder pain for at least 3 months.
- Shoulder pain intensity greater than 3 points on the visual analogue scale (VAS).
- Shoulder-related disability greater than 20 points on the DASH questionnaire.
- Presence of at least one active myofascial trigger point in the infraspinatus muscle.
- Reproduction of the patient's familiar shoulder pain during palpation of the infraspinatus trigger point.
- Ability to understand the study procedures and provide written informed consent.
Who cannot join
- Previous shoulder surgery or traumatic shoulder injury in the affected region.
- Presence of severe structural or systemic pathology affecting the shoulder region, such as fracture, tumour, infection, inflammatory disease, or neurological disorder.
- Clinical signs suggestive of cervical radiculopathy or other neurological conditions that could explain the shoulder symptoms.
- Use of physiotherapy treatment, invasive therapy, or analgesic/anti-inflammatory medication during the week before participation.
- Contraindications to dry needling or percutaneous electrolysis, including needle phobia, anticoagulant therapy, bleeding disorders, pregnancy, pacemaker or implanted electrical devices, local skin infection, or altered skin sensitivity in the treatment area.
Trial locations and contacts
2 sites in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Spain2 sites
Complutense University of Madrid
Madrid, Madrid, 28040
Juan Antonio Valera Calero, PhD, 0034653766841, juavaler@ucm.es
Complutense University of Madrid
Madrid, Madrid, 28040
Juan Antonio Valera-Calero, PhD, +34 653 766 841, juavaler@ucm.es
About this study
Official title: Dry Needling or Percutaneous Electrolysis for Managing Myofascial Trigger Points? A Randomized Clinical Trial
Dry needling (DN) and percutaneous electrolysis (PE) are minimally invasive physiotherapy techniques commonly used for the management of myofascial trigger points. DN consists of inserting a fine filiform needle into a hyperirritable area within a taut band of skeletal muscle, with the aim of eliciting local twitch responses and reducing myofascial pain. PE follows a similar needle-based approach but combines the mechanical stimulus of the needle with the application of a galvanic electrical current, producing an electrochemical reaction in the targeted tissue. Both techniques have been increasingly used in clinical practice for musculoskeletal pain conditions, including shoulder pain, although the evidence comparing their relative effectiveness remains limited.
Shoulder pain is one of the most prevalent musculoskeletal disorders and is frequently associated with the presence of active myofascial trigger points. Among the shoulder muscles, the infraspinatus has been identified as a clinically relevant structure because its trigger points may reproduce referred pain patterns commonly reported by patients with shoulder symptoms and may contribute to pain, reduced strength, altered mobility, and functional disability. Previous studies have suggested that invasive treatment of infraspinatus trigger points may produce short-term improvements in pain sensitivity and shoulder-related symptoms. However, most available research has examined dry needling or percutaneous electrolysis separately, and direct comparisons between both interventions in patients with shoulder pain remain scarce.
Read more
The physiological mechanisms underlying these techniques are not yet fully understood. Dry needling is thought to act through mechanical and neurophysiological mechanisms, including disruption of dysfunctional motor endplates, reduction of local nociceptive input, elicitation of local twitch responses, and activation of segmental and descending inhibitory pathways. Percutaneous electrolysis may share some of these needling-related effects, while also adding a galvanic current that may induce local biochemical changes and promote tissue recovery processes. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether the addition of electrical current provides superior clinical effects compared with dry needling alone.
Since limited research has directly compared dry needling and percutaneous electrolysis applied to active myofascial trigger points of the infraspinatus in patients with shoulder pain, the present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of both techniques as complementary interventions to manual therapy and therapeutic exercise. Specifically, this study sought to determine whether percutaneous electrolysis or dry needling produced greater short-term improvements in pain intensity and shoulder-related disability.
- Conditions
- Shoulder Pain
- Being tested
- Dry needling, Percutaneous electrolysis (Low Intensity - Long Time), Manual therapy, Therapeutic exercise, Percutaneous Electrolysis (High Intensity - Short Time)
- Keywords
- Dry needling, Percutaneous electrolysis, Physiotherapy, Manual therapy, Exercise
- Medical subject headings
- Shoulder Pain, Motor Activity
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Dry needlingOther
Dry needling will be performed on the most symptomatic active myofascial trigger point of the infraspinatus muscle. Participants will be placed in prone, and the skin will be disinfected with 2% chlorhexidine. A sterile solid filiform needle will be inserted into the trigger point using Hong's technique, consisting of repeated fast-in and fast-out needle movements for 30 seconds, with the aim of eliciting 3-5 local twitch responses. During the 30 seconds procedure, the needle will be connected to the percutaneous electrolysis device (without current) for blinding purposes.
Percutaneous electrolysis (Low Intensity - Long Time)Other
Percutaneous electrolysis will be applied to the most symptomatic active myofascial trigger point of the infraspinatus muscle. Participants will be positioned in prone, and the skin will be cleaned with 2% chlorhexidine. A sterile solid filiform needle will be inserted into the trigger point using a fast-in and fast-out needling approach, with the aim of eliciting 3-5 local twitch responses. During the procedure, a galvanic current of 0.3 mA was applied for 30 seconds.
Manual therapyOther
Manual therapy interventions consist of soft tissue techniques targeting the upper, middle, and lower trapezius, levator scapulae, rhomboids, teres minor, and infraspinatus muscles. The pressure will be adapted to each participant's tolerance and will not exceed moderate pain intensity. Scapular mobilization techniques will be also performed in side-lying, including elevation, depression, protraction, retraction, upward rotation, and downward rotation.
Therapeutic exerciseBehavioural
The programme include assisted mobility exercises for shoulder flexion, abduction, external rotation, and internal rotation, followed by strengthening exercises for flexion, extension, abduction, internal rotation, and external rotation. Anterior and posterior shoulder capsule stretching and unloaded Codman pendulum exercises will be also included. Participants will be instructed to perform the exercises once daily until the follow-up assessment, keeping pain below 3-4 points on the visual analogue scale.
Percutaneous Electrolysis (High Intensity - Short Time)Other
Percutaneous electrolysis will be applied to the most symptomatic active myofascial trigger point of the infraspinatus muscle. Participants will be positioned in prone, and the skin will be cleaned with 2% chlorhexidine. A sterile solid filiform needle will be inserted into the trigger point using a fast-in and fast-out needling approach, with the aim of eliciting 3-5 local twitch responses. During the procedure, a galvanic current of 3 mA was applied for 3 seconds.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Experimental Group - High intensity and short time electrolysis dose | Experimental | Combination of manual therapy, therapeutic exercise and percutaneous electrolysis Receives: Other: Manual therapy; Behavioral: Therapeutic exercise; Other: Percutaneous Electrolysis (High Intensity - Short Time) |
| Control group | Active comparator | Combination of manual therapy, therapeutic exercise and dry needling Receives: Other: Dry needling; Other: Manual therapy; Behavioral: Therapeutic exercise |
| Experimental Group - Low intensity and long time electrolysis dose | Experimental | Combination of manual therapy, therapeutic exercise and percutaneous electrolysis Receives: Other: Percutaneous electrolysis (Low Intensity - Long Time); Other: Manual therapy; Behavioral: Therapeutic exercise |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Pain intensity
Pain intensity will be assessed using a 10-point visual analogue scale (VAS), where 0 indicates no pain and 10 represents the worst imaginable pain. Participants will be asked to rate their perceived shoulder pain before the intervention and at the 7-day follow-up. Higher scores indicated greater pain intensity.
Measured: Baseline (before the intervention on Day 1) and 7 days after the intervention
Secondary outcomes (3)
Shoulder disability
Shoulder-related disability will be evaluated using the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire (DASH). This instrument assesses the patient's ability to perform daily activities involving the upper limb. Scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater disability.
Measured: Baseline (before the intervention on Day 1) and 7 days after the intervention
Adverse effects
Adverse effects will be recorded by asking participants to report any undesirable symptoms or sequelae occurring during or after the interventions. These include any short- or medium-term symptoms considered intolerable by the patient or requiring additional care.
Measured: From completion of the intervention on Day 1 to 7 days after the intervention
Interventions tolerance
How patients tolerate the invasive physiotherapy procedures will be assessed using a 10-point visual analogue scale (VAS), where 0 indicated no pain and 10 represented the worst imaginable pain. Participants will be asked to rate how painful they perceived the assigned intervention. Higher scores indicated greater pain intensity.
Measured: Immediately after completion of the intervention on Day 1
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted10 Jun 2026
- Study start15 Sep 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion30 Jan 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion1 Feb 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Shoulder PainStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Universidad Complutense de MadridThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Randomized, Double-Blinded Controlled Trial
- Masking
- Quadruple blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 60 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Universidad Complutense de Madrid
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, JUAN ANTONIO VALERA CALERO, Universidad Complutense de Madrid
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07637760
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- PEDN
- Acronym
- PEDN
- Status last verified
- Sep 2026
- First submitted
- 30 May 2026
- Last updated
- 9 Sep 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 9 Sep 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Dry Needling or Percutaneous Electrolysis for Managing Myofascial Trigger Points? A Randomized Clinical Trial
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07637760
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- PEDN / PEDN
- Conditions
- Shoulder Pain
- Keywords
- Dry needling, Percutaneous electrolysis, Physiotherapy, Manual therapy, Exercise
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 60 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Universidad Complutense de MadridUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 15 Sep 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- 30 Jan 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 1 Feb 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 10 Jun 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Dry needling (DN) and percutaneous electrolysis (PE) are minimally invasive physiotherapy techniques commonly used for the management of myofascial trigger points. DN consists of inserting a fine filiform needle into a hyperirritable area within a taut band of skeletal muscle, with the aim of eliciting local twitch responses and reducing myofascial pain. PE follows a similar needle-based approach but combines the mechanical stimulus of the needle with the application of a galvanic electrical current, producing an electrochemical reaction in the targeted tissue. Both techniques have been increasingly used in clinical practice for musculoskeletal pain conditions, including shoulder pain, although the evidence comparing their relative effectiveness remains limited.
Shoulder pain is one of the most prevalent musculoskeletal disorders and is frequently associated with the presence of active myofascial trigger points. Among the shoulder muscles, the infraspinatus has been identified as a clinically relevant structure because its trigger points may reproduce referred pain patterns commonly reported by patients with shoulder symptoms and may contribute to pain, reduced strength, altered mobility, and functional disability. Previous studies have suggested that invasive treatment of infraspinatus trigger points may produce short-term improvements in pain sensitivity and shoulder-related symptoms. However, most available research has examined dry needling or percutaneous electrolysis separately, and direct comparisons between both interventions in patients with shoulder pain remain scarce.
The physiological mechanisms underlying these techniques are not yet fully understood. Dry needling is thought to act through mechanical and neurophysiological mechanisms, including disruption of dysfunctional motor endplates, reduction of local nociceptive input, elicitation of local twitch responses, and activation of segmental and descending inhibitory pathways. Percutaneous electrolysis may share some of these needling-related effects, while also adding a galvanic current that may induce local biochemical changes and promote tissue recovery processes. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether the addition of electrical current provides superior clinical effects compared with dry needling alone.
Since limited research has directly compared dry needling and percutaneous electrolysis applied to active myofascial trigger points of the infraspinatus in patients with shoulder pain, the present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of both techniques as complementary interventions to manual therapy and therapeutic exercise. Specifically, this study sought to determine whether percutaneous electrolysis or dry needling produced greater short-term improvements in pain intensity and shoulder-related disability.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Quadruple blind (participant, care provider, investigator, outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 3
- Model description
- Randomized, Double-Blinded Controlled Trial
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Experimental Group - High intensity and short time electrolysis dose | Experimental | Other: Manual therapy, Behavioral: Therapeutic exercise, Other: Percutaneous Electrolysis (High Intensity - Short Time)Combination of manual therapy, therapeutic exercise and percutaneous electrolysis |
| Control group | Active comparator | Other: Dry needling, Other: Manual therapy, Behavioral: Therapeutic exerciseCombination of manual therapy, therapeutic exercise and dry needling |
| Experimental Group - Low intensity and long time electrolysis dose | Experimental | Other: Percutaneous electrolysis (Low Intensity - Long Time), Other: Manual therapy, Behavioral: Therapeutic exerciseCombination of manual therapy, therapeutic exercise and percutaneous electrolysis |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (7 listed)
- Adults
- Presence of shoulder pain for at least 3 months.
- Shoulder pain intensity greater than 3 points on the visual analogue scale (VAS).
- Shoulder-related disability greater than 20 points on the DASH questionnaire.
- Presence of at least one active myofascial trigger point in the infraspinatus muscle.
Key exclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Previous shoulder surgery or traumatic shoulder injury in the affected region.
- Presence of severe structural or systemic pathology affecting the shoulder region, such as fracture, tumour, infection, inflammatory disease, or neurological disorder.
- Clinical signs suggestive of cervical radiculopathy or other neurological conditions that could explain the shoulder symptoms.
- Use of physiotherapy treatment, invasive therapy, or analgesic/anti-inflammatory medication during the week before participation.
- Contraindications to dry needling or percutaneous electrolysis, including needle phobia, anticoagulant therapy, bleeding disorders, pregnancy, pacemaker or implanted electrical devices, local skin infection, or altered skin sensitivity in the treatment area.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Dry needlingDry needling will be performed on the most symptomatic active myofascial trigger point of the infraspinatus muscle. Participants will be placed in prone, and the skin will be disinfected with 2% chlorhexidine. A sterile solid filiform needle will be inserted into the trigger point using Hong's technique, consisting of repeated fast-in and fast-out needle movements for 30 seconds, with the aim of eliciting 3-5 local twitch responses. During the 30 seconds procedure, the needle will be connected to the percutaneous electrolysis device (without current) for blinding purposes. | Other | Control group |
| Percutaneous electrolysis (Low Intensity - Long Time)Percutaneous electrolysis will be applied to the most symptomatic active myofascial trigger point of the infraspinatus muscle. Participants will be positioned in prone, and the skin will be cleaned with 2% chlorhexidine. A sterile solid filiform needle will be inserted into the trigger point using a fast-in and fast-out needling approach, with the aim of eliciting 3-5 local twitch responses. During the procedure, a galvanic current of 0.3 mA was applied for 30 seconds. | Other | Experimental Group - Low intensity and long time electrolysis dose |
| Manual therapyManual therapy interventions consist of soft tissue techniques targeting the upper, middle, and lower trapezius, levator scapulae, rhomboids, teres minor, and infraspinatus muscles. The pressure will be adapted to each participant's tolerance and will not exceed moderate pain intensity. Scapular mobilization techniques will be also performed in side-lying, including elevation, depression, protraction, retraction, upward rotation, and downward rotation. | Other | Control group, Experimental Group - High intensity and short time electrolysis dose, Experimental Group - Low intensity and long time electrolysis dose |
| Therapeutic exerciseThe programme include assisted mobility exercises for shoulder flexion, abduction, external rotation, and internal rotation, followed by strengthening exercises for flexion, extension, abduction, internal rotation, and external rotation. Anterior and posterior shoulder capsule stretching and unloaded Codman pendulum exercises will be also included. Participants will be instructed to perform the exercises once daily until the follow-up assessment, keeping pain below 3-4 points on the visual analogue scale. | Behavioural | Control group, Experimental Group - High intensity and short time electrolysis dose, Experimental Group - Low intensity and long time electrolysis dose |
| Percutaneous Electrolysis (High Intensity - Short Time)Percutaneous electrolysis will be applied to the most symptomatic active myofascial trigger point of the infraspinatus muscle. Participants will be positioned in prone, and the skin will be cleaned with 2% chlorhexidine. A sterile solid filiform needle will be inserted into the trigger point using a fast-in and fast-out needling approach, with the aim of eliciting 3-5 local twitch responses. During the procedure, a galvanic current of 3 mA was applied for 3 seconds. | Other | Experimental Group - High intensity and short time electrolysis dose |
Primary outcome
Pain intensity
Time frame: Baseline (before the intervention on Day 1) and 7 days after the intervention
Pain intensity will be assessed using a 10-point visual analogue scale (VAS), where 0 indicates no pain and 10 represents the worst imaginable pain. Participants will be asked to rate their perceived shoulder pain before the intervention and at the 7-day follow-up. Higher scores indicated greater pain intensity.
3 secondary outcomes
Shoulder disability
Time frame: Baseline (before the intervention on Day 1) and 7 days after the intervention
Adverse effects
Time frame: From completion of the intervention on Day 1 to 7 days after the intervention
Interventions tolerance
Time frame: Immediately after completion of the intervention on Day 1
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 9 Sep 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided
Related trials for Shoulder Pain
Not yet recruitingPhase 4
Methylprednisolone Taper is an Effective Addition to Multimodal Pain Regimens After Rotator Cuff Repair
Shoulder
Not yet recruiting
ESP Versus SPSIP Block for Pain Relief After Shoulder Arthroscopy
Postoperative Pain
Active, not recruitingObservational study
Natural History of Shoulder Pathology in Manual Wheelchair Users
Paraplegia, Spinal Cord Injuries
Not yet recruiting
Comparison of High-Intensity and Conventional Physical Therapy in Musculoskeletal Disorders
Low Back Pain, Radicular Syndrome
Active, not recruiting
Effects of Scapular Stabilization on Rotator Cuff Strength, Shoulder Pain, Ansd Function
Shoulder Pain and Stiffness
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
2 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Dry needling, Percutaneous electrolysis (Low Intensity - Long Time) and Manual therapy in people with Shoulder Pain, run by Universidad Complutense de Madrid at 2 sites in Spain.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 7 inclusion and 5 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 9 Sep 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 2 sites in Spain. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Juan Antonio Valera Calero, PhD (0034653766841, juavaler@ucm.es), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Pain intensity (time frame: Baseline (before the intervention on Day 1) and 7 days after the intervention). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 9 Sep 2026.