Dry needling in the treatment of myofascial trigger points and painful shoulder dysfunctions: narrative review of the literature

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES : Shoulder painful dysfunctions comprises one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders that requires specialized assistance. Dry Nee-dling (DN) became an adjuvant approach with increased use in clinical practice to treat this type of condition. The present study discusses the literature related to DN in the treatment of myofascial trigger points (MTPs), shoulder dysfunctions and associated pain. METHODS : A narrative review through search of articles from 2010 to 2022 written in Portuguese, English or Spanish was performed in Latin American and Caribbean Literature on Health Sciences (LILACS), Health Information from the National Li-brary of Medicine (Medline), Web of Science and the Scientific Electronic Library Online (Scielo) databases using the keywords: <“Dry Needling”>; <“ Agulhamento a Seco ”>; <“Myofascial Trigger Points”>; <“ Pontos-Gatilhos Miofasciais ”>; <“Shoulder Dysfunctions”>; <” Disfunções do ombro ”>. The qualitative analysis was performed determining the level of evidence for DN treatment of MTPs, shoulder dysfunctions and pain.