Dry Needling in a Multimodal Rehabilitation Protocol Following Rotator Cuff Repair Surgery: A randomized double-blinded sham- controlled trial

Abstract Background Rotator cuff repair (RCR) is one of the most prevalent procedures to manage rotator cuff tears (RCT). Postoperative shoulder pain is a common complication following RCR and may be aggravated by activation of myofascial trigger points (MTrP) associated with the injury to the soft tissues surrounding the surgical incision, prolonging the patients' time to recovery. Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of myofascial trigger point dry needling (MTrP-DN) as a muscle treatment approach along with a multimodal rehabilitation protocol (MRh) on postoperative shoulder pain, range of motion (ROM), strength, and functional outcome scores for patients following RCR surgery. Methods Forty-six patients aged 40–75 following the RCR surgery were recruited and randomly allocated into 2 groups: (1) MTrP-DN plus MRh (experimental group) and (2) sham dry needling (S-DN) plus MRh (control group). This trial had a 4-week intervention period. The primary outcome was the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) for pain. Secondary outcomes were the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPDI), ROM, and strength. In the current study, adverse events were recorded as well. Results We found significant within-group differences in all outcome measures (p < 0.001). But no significant between-group differences were detected in any of the outcomes (p > 0.05). This study reported minor adverse events following the needling approach. Conclusion According to the study's findings, adding 4 sessions of MTrPDN to 4 weeks of MRh did not significantly improve postoperative shoulder pain, ROM, strength, or SPDI. This study also revealed minor adverse events after the needling procedure. Trial registration: This trial was registered at the (https://www.irct.ir), (IRCT20211005052677N1) on 19/2/2022.