Showing 2 results for Myofascial Pain Syndrome
Zeinab Ahmadpour Emshi , Farshad Okhovatian, Marzieh Mohammadi Kojidi, Alireza Akbarzadeh Baghban, Hadi Azimi,
Volume 35, Issue 1 (1-2021)
Abstract
Background: Myofascial pain syndrome is one of the most common complaints in patients referring to orthopedic treatment centers. The present study aimed to examine the effects of instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) and dry needling (DN) on active myofascial trigger points (AMTrP) of the upper trapezius muscle (UTM).
Methods: The current study was designed as a randomized clinical trial and a total of 81 patients, aged 18-40 years, with active myofascial trigger points in the upper trapezius muscle were randomly divided into 3 groups: group 1 (n = 30) received DN treatment, group 2 (n = 26) received IASTM treatment, and group 3 (n = 25) was considered as the control group (no intervention). The numeric pain scale (NPS), pain pressure threshold (PPT), active cervical contra-lateral flexion (ACLF), neck disability index (NDI), and muscle thickness (MT), according to rehabilitative ultrasonic imaging (RUSI), were measured at baseline, immediately after the last session (session 4 in week 2), and 1 month after the last session. The statistical analysis was conducted at a 95% confidence level. The P values less than .05 were considered as statistically significant.
Results: Both techniques were effective in treating active trigger point of the upper trapezius (p<0.05), but there was no significant difference between the treatment groups in terms of any of the above variables except for ACLF (p>0.05)
Conclusion: Both IASTM and DN were determined to improve NPS, PPT, ROM, and NDI in participants with active trigger points in the upper trapezius, although IASTM was more effective in increasing ACLF in these patients.
Lobat Majidi, Zohdieh Kargar, Behnaz Alaei, Mohammad Reza Nikoo,
Volume 37, Issue 1 (2-2023)
Abstract
Background: Forward Head Posture (FHP), which refers to the head being more forward than the shoulder, is one of the most common postural defects of all ages. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to compare the effectiveness of exercise therapy and electroacupuncture in patients with FHP and myofascial pain syndrome (MPS).
Methods: The present study was an open-label randomized clinical trial. A total of 61 patients with FHP and MPS who were referred to the physical medicine clinic of Besat Hospital between 2020 and 2021 were analyzed. Patients in one group were treated with electroacupuncture, and another one was treated with exercise therapy. The primary outcomes were FHP angles (CVA, CA, and shoulder angle), pain intensity (VAS), and quality of life (SF-12). Paired t-test was used to compare the results obtained in the pre-test and post-test. To detect differences over time, the analysis of variance models was used to repeat the observations. If the p-test result is less than the test significance level of 0.05, the null hypothesis is not confirmed.
Results: The rate of final CVA and increase in CVA in the exercise therapy group were significantly higher than in the electroacupuncture group (P < 0.001). The average shoulder angle in the exercise therapy group increased from 47.1° ± 3.0° to 51.9° ± 3.3° (P < 0.001) and in the electroacupuncture group from 47.9° ± 3.1° to 51.0° ± 2.8° (P < 0.001). A significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of pain intensity changes during the study.
Conclusion: Overall, the results of this study showed that both exercise therapy and electroacupuncture significantly improved patients' posture, reduced pain intensity, and increased quality of life in FHP patients with MPS; But exercise therapy was more effective in improving FHP angles and electroacupuncture was more successful in reducing patients' pain intensity.
