Table 1 Inclusion and exclusion criteria

1) Status following RCR surgery.

2) Age range between 40 and 75 years.

3) Suffering from shoulder pain after 5 weeks of RCR surgery.

4) Palpable active MTrPs in the shoulder girdle muscles.

1) Needle phobia

2) History of coagulation disorders and consumption of anticoagulants.

3) Surgical history of the head and neck.

4) Radiculopathy and myelopathy disorders.

5) Pregnancy

6) No active MTrPs were discovered.