A critical appraisal of "Contribution of dry needling to individualized physical therapy treatment of shoulder pain: a randomized clinical trial"

An appraisal of a study published in 2017 by the Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy is presented to help the general population grasp the findings of the study. The current study appraised measured the effect of dry needling when paired with individualized physical therapy to treat non-specific shoulder pain. A clinical question was formed and presented in the introduction of the appraisal and the chosen article was selected by virtue of its relevance to the clinical question. Objective evaluations of the methods, results, and conclusion are presented in this appraisal to illustrate for readers the various strengths and weaknesses of the study. The goal of this appraisal is for readers to learn about dry needling from a valid evidence-based study and be able to form their own decision about whether they would like to be treated with dry needling if they have a chance to receive the intervention.