Purpose: Dry needling (DN) may impact strength, but research is limited and focused on symptomatic individuals. This study aimed to measure the effect of DN on shoulder external rotation and abduction strength with asymptomatic individuals in the absence of myofascial trigger points in the area needled. Methods: 20 (10 males, 10 females; age range: 20 - 23) participants acted as the intervention and control group, with one side of the body receiving DN technique and the other as the control (non DN side). Baseline strength measurements were conducted, followed by DN session one 24 to 48 hours later. DN session two was performed 48 hours after the first, with post-intervention measurements taken immediately afterward. After five to seven days, participants returned for the second post-intervention and measurements of strength. Results: There were observable differences for abduction of the DN arm (non-dominant) when comparing the baseline (19.1 ± 5.6) with post-test 1 (p = 0.0180; d = ？0.50) and post-test 2 (p = 0.0238; d = ？0.47) for the whole cohort. This was similar for female participants when comparing baseline with post-test 1 (p = 0.0209; d = ？0.75) and post-test 2 (p = 0.0470). There were observable differences for external rotation of the DN arm (non-dominant) for males when comparing post-test 1 with post-test 2 (20.1 ± 4.3 vs. 21.7 ± 3.9; p = 0.0311; d = 0.67). Conclusion: The results revealed increases in muscle strength in shoulder abduction, notably the female participants. This may provide the impetus for future research on the impact of DN on strength in the absence of myofascial trigger points with consideration to its influence on other mechanisms.
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