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 ...

Dear Editor, I appreciate the opportunity to respond to the letter to the editor of Drs. Cohen and Quintner (the authors), prompted by the reviewof theMuscle and Myofascial Pain section of the 2005 IASP Core Curriculum (IASP CC) [1]. The authors are acknowledged for their persistence in challenging inconsistencies in the constructs of the myofascial syndrome (and fibromyalgia). Indeed, and unfo...

OBJECTIVES To compare the efficacies of dry needling of trigger points (TrPs) with and without paraspinal needling in myofascial pain syndrome of elderly patients. DESIGN Single-blinded, randomized controlled trial. SUBJECTS Forty (40) subjects, between the ages of 63 and 90 with myofascial pain syndrome of the upper trapezius muscle. INTERVENTIONS Eighteen (18) subjects were treated with...

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...

Myofascial pain syndromes (MPSs) from trigger points (TrPs) and fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) are common musculoskeletal pain conditions that frequently coexist in the same patients. In recent decades, it has become evident that these entities greatly influence each other's clinical expression. FMS is mainly rooted in the central nervous system, while TrPs have a peripheral origin. However, the n...

Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is a major musculoskeletal pain that occur in every age group, and has been associated with numerous pain conditions including radiculopathies, osteoarthritis, disc syndrome, tendonitis, migraines, tension type headaches, computerrelated disorders, spinal dysfunction, and pelvic pain. Myofascial pain is identified by palpating skeletal muscle for myofascial trigge...

BACKGROUND Musculoskeletal pain is a common problem among athletes. Apart from sport injuries, the myofascial pain syndrome is another important problem that affects performance of the athlete. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of therapeutic sequences of the hot pack in combination with ultrasound on the physiological responses over the latent myofascial trigger po...

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...

Over the last few decades, advances have been made in the understanding of myofascial pain syndrome epidemiology, clinical characteristics and aetiopathogenesis, but many unknowns remain. An integrated hypothesis has provided a greater understanding of the physiopathology of trigger points, which may allow the development of new diagnostic, and above all, therapeutic methods, as well as the est...

Painful conditions of the musculoskeletal system, including myofascial pain syndrome, constitute some of the most important chronic problems encountered in a clinical practice. A myofascial trigger points is a hyperirritable spot, usually within a taut band of skeletal muscle, which is painful on compression and can give rise to characteristic referred pain, motor dysfunction, and autonomic phe...