[Purpose] This study is designed to compare the effects of abdominal drawing-in exercise and myofascial release on pain, flexibility, and balance of elderly females. [Subjects and Methods] Forty elderly females aged 65 or older who had complained of low back pain for three months or longer were selected as the subjects. They were randomly and equally assigned to either an abdominal drawing-in g...

Objectives: Myofascial pain syndrome is a disorder characterized by hypersensitive sites called trigger points at one or more muscles and/or connective tissue, leading to pain, muscle spasm, sensitivity, rigor, limitation of movement, weakness, and rarely, autonomic dysfunction. Various treatment methods have been used in the treatment of myofascial pain syndrome. Among these, stretch and spray...

Persistent myalgia following whiplash is commonly considered the result of poor psychosocial status, illness behavior, or failing coping skills. However, there is much evidence that persistent myalgia may be due to neurophysiologic mechanisms involving peripheral and central sensitization. Myofascial trigger points may play a crucial role in maintaining sensitization. Recent research suggests t...

Background Dry needling (DN) and percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (PENS) are widely used techniques in the treatment of myofascial pain. Objective To investigate the immediate and short-term effects of the combination of DN and PENS compared to DN alone on the upper trapezius muscle. Method This is a 72-hour follow-up single-blinded randomized controlled trial. Sixty-two volunteer ...

OBJECTIVE To establish whether there is evidence for or against the efficacy of needling as a treatment approach for myofascial trigger point pain. DATA SOURCES PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, AMED, and CISCOM databases, searched from inception to July 999. STUDY SELECTION Randomized, controlled trials in which some form of needling therapy was used to treat myofasc...

Objective: This review article describes the etiology, pathogenesis, clinical characters and management of low back pain (LBP) caused by myofascial trigger points (MTrPs), i.e. myofascial low back pain. Findings: Based on the currently available knowledge and our clinical experience, we analyzed the basic and clinical aspects of myofascial LBP. Most cases of myofascial LBP are related to injuri...

BACKGROUND Traditional strategies for myofascial pain relief provide transient, incomplete, variable, or unpredictable outcomes. Botulinum toxin is itself an analgesic but can also cause sustained muscular relaxation, thereby possibly affording even greater relief than traditional therapies. METHODS The study goal was to determine whether direct injection of botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) in...

OBJECTIVES The study objectives were to evaluate outcomes in patients who have received dry needling treatments and to identify predictors of pain and disability. DESIGN The study was a prospective cohort follow-up design. SETTING The study was conducted at the Pain Clinic at Pingtung Christian Hospital, Taiwan. SUBJECTS Ninety-two (92) patients sick-listed for 3 months or longer for myof...

T rigger points are irritable, hard “knots” within a muscle that may cause pain over a large area, leading to difficulty performing everyday tasks. When a trigger point is touched, it hurts and can also cause pain in nearby areas (see illustration). When a person has painful muscles and trigger points, it is sometimes called myofascial pain syndrome. Common locations for these problems are the ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The efficacy of low level laser therapy (LLLT) in myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) seems controversial. Our aim was to clarify the effect of LLLT in MPS by using algometry and thermography. STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS Sixty-two patients with MPS having an active trigger point in the neck or upper back region were randomly divided into two equal groups according ...