Dry Needling: An Invasive Physical Therapy Technique

Myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) of the upper trapezius muscle causes impairment of functional activity and reduces the quality of life. Several physical therapy interventions can be used to treat myofascial trigger points. Currently, dry needling (DN) is emerging as a physical therapy technique for use in treating MTrPs. The aim of this narrative review was to evaluate the effectiveness of dry needling in treating myofascial trigger points of the upper trapezius muscle. The PubMed database was searched for articles published through December, 2018. The main problem of most articles exists in the methods section; therefore, their results may be affected by bias. A standardized guideline for both the training and practice of using DN to treat MTrPs should be developed to minimize the risk of DN complications.