Effects of Dry Needling on Latent Myofascial Trigger Points on Vertical Jump Performance in Female Athletes."

This study will be a single-blind, randomized clinical trial conducted in the Department of Invasive Physiotherapy at a private Physiotherapy Clinic in Toledo.

The inclusion criteria are as follows: healthy female volleyball practitioners with no lower limb injuries in the last 6 months, the presence of latent MTPs in the gastrocnemius, and familiarity with performing CMJ tests. Subjects will not be eligible for the study if they have needle phobia, active MTPs in the lower limb, any pathology preventing the use of dry needling, or any pathology preventing the performance of the CMJ test.

Subjects will be randomly assigned to two groups: the intervention group and the control group. Sealed cards containing numbers 1 to 24 in opaque envelopes will be provided, and participants will randomly select a card. Odd-numbered subjects will become part of the control group, while subjects with even numbers will be part of the intervention group.

All subjects must sign a copy of the consent form, which describes and explains the objectives and procedures of the study.

Both groups will undergo a standard warm-up session, including continuous running, dynamic lower limb stretching, and vertical jumps, lasting for 10 minutes (T0). Following the warm-up, the principal investigator will administer the dry needling technique to those assigned to the experimental group. The second measurement will be conducted immediately after the needling technique (T1). Participants in the control group will be instructed to wait on the intervention couch for a comparable duration to those receiving treatment.