OBJECTIVES To compare the efficacies of an intramuscular stimulation technique and 0.5% lidocaine injection to trigger points in myofascial pain syndrome. PARTICIPANTS Forty-three people with myofascial pain syndrome of the upper trapezius muscle. INTERVENTIONS Twenty-two subjects were treated with intramuscular stimulation and another 21 with 0.5% lidocaine injection at all the trigger poi...

OBJECTIVE Dry needling of myofascial trigger points can relieve myofascial pain if local twitch responses are elicited during needling. Spontaneous electrical activity (SEA) recorded from an active locus in a myofascial trigger point region has been used to assess the myofascial trigger point sensitivity. This study was to investigate the effect of dry needling on SEA. DESIGN Nine adult New Z...

Successful management of myofascial trigger point (MTrP) pain depends on the practitioner finding all of the MTrPs from which the pain is emanating, and then deactivating them by one of several currently used methods. These include deeply applied procedures, such as an injection of a local anaesthetic into MTrPs and deep dry needling (DDN), and superficially applied ones, including an injection...

The myofascial trigger point (MTrP) is the hallmark physical finding of the myofascial pain syndrome (MPS). The MTrP itself is characterized by distinctive physical features that include a tender point in a taut band of muscle, a local twitch response (LTR) to mechanical stimulation, a pain referral pattern characteristic of trigger points of specific areas in each muscle, and the reproduction ...

It is acknowledged in medicine that being physically active has overall positive health benefits by reducing the risk of chronic health problems such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, some forms of cancer, osteoporosis, obesity, falls and fractures, and some mental health problems (Brukner & Brown, 2005; Owen et al., 2007). However, some of us take it to the extreme in sports, whilst others ...

Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is described as the sensory, motor, and autonomic symptoms caused by myofascial trigger points (TrPs). Knowing the potential causes of TrPs is important to prevent their development and recurrence, but also to inactivate and eliminate existing TrPs. There is general agreement that muscle overuse or direct trauma to the muscle can lead to the development of TrPs. M...

UNLABELLED Chronic pain in areas surrounding the ear may influence tinnitus. OBJECTIVE To investigate the efficacy of myofascial trigger point deactivation for the relief of tinnitus. METHOD A double-blind randomized clinical trial enrolled 71 patients with tinnitus and myofascial pain syndrome. The experimental group (n = 37) underwent 10 sessions of myofascial trigger point deactivation a...

The aim of this article is to review the possible mechanisms related to the pathophysiology and treatment of myofascial trigger points with the technique of dry needling. Muscles in general and myofascial trigger points (MTrP‟s) are a major source of persistent pain (Travell 1983). Myofascial pain is often associated with MTrP‟s in muscles, tendons and fascia (Sola 1990, Simons 1999).It is char...

The mechanism of musculoskeletal pain underlying low level static exertions, such as those experienced during computer work, is poorly understood. It was hypothesized that static postural and visual stress experienced during computer work might contribute to trigger point development in the trapezius muscles, resulting in myofascial pain. A study was conducted to observe the development of myof...