DRY NEEDLING INCREASES MUSCLE THICKNESS IN A SUBJECT WITH PERSISTENT MUSCLE DYSFUNCTION: A CASE REPORT

Area of Science:

• Musculoskeletal rehabilitation
• Sports medicine
• Physical therapy interventions

Background:

• Muscle dysfunction is common after musculoskeletal injuries, impacting recovery.
• Evidence for soft tissue interventions like dry needling improving muscle function is limited.
• Shoulder surgery often leads to persistent muscle impairments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report the immediate effects of dry needling on muscle thickness.
• To assess changes in a post-shoulder surgery patient with persistent dysfunction.

Main Methods:

• A case report of a 22-year-old gymnast seven months post-shoulder surgery.
• Dry needling was applied to address myofascial trigger points in the shoulder complex.
• Rehabilitative ultrasound imaging measured muscle thickness and force production.

Main Results:

• Significant improvement in infraspinatus muscle thickness immediately after dry needling.
• Corresponding increase in external rotation force production was observed.
• Ultrasound imaging validated changes in muscle morphology.

Conclusions:

• Dry needling may improve muscle thickness and strength in cases of post-injury muscle dysfunction.
• Further research is needed to validate dry needling's efficacy using objective measures like ultrasound.
• This case suggests dry needling as a potential adjunct therapy for shoulder rehabilitation.