Erin suggested I try dry needling since so many of her clients had positive results. She explained that because of the small tear, the surrounding muscles (the muscles in my upper back) were compensating and getting super tight, which was preventing the front of my shoulder from healing.
Massageing those muscles would help, but Erin said that when dealing with pain, dry needling can be more effective and last longer than massage. Also, it can be more painful to push and compress on those knots and tight muscles, so massage could actually aggravate the issue.
After explaining the benefits, the low risks, and what it would feel like, I was ready to give dry needling a try, hoping it'd speed up the healing process.