OBJECTIVE To evaluate the role of ultrasonography for detecting local twitch responses (LTRs) of myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) in deeply located lower-back muscles. DESIGN Case-control study. Active MTrP was diagnosed in all patients based on the criteria proposed by Travell and Simons in their upper-trapezius or lower-back muscles. One investigator administered trigger point injections w...

Background and purpose: Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is thought by some authors the main cause of headache and neck pain. MPS is characterized by Myofascial Trigger Points (MTrPs). However, there are not many controlled studies that have analyzed the effects of the manual therapies in their treatment. The aim of this systematic review is to establish whether manual therapies have specific eff...

The aim of the study was to investigate if an abnormal brain response to pain exists in patients with myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) when stimulated in a hypersensitive myofascial trigger point (MTP). Event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to characterize the brain response to pain evoked from an MTP. Activation patterns from patients were compared with those evoked from a...

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the immediate effect of ischaemic compression, trigger point pressure release and placebo ultrasound on pain, degree of cervical lateral flexion and pressure pain threshold of upper trapezius trigger points in subjects with non-specific neck pain. Design: Randomised, single-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Setting: Anglo-European College of ...

Botulinum toxin injection is used to treat various pain conditions including muscle spasticity, dystonia, headache and myofascial pain. Results are conflicting regarding the use of Botulinum toxin for trigger point injection in terms of improvement in pain. The aim of this study was to carry out a systematic review to assess the evidence for efficacy of Botulinum toxin A (BTA) compared with pla...