Myofascial trigger points (TPs) are a poorly understood phenomenon involving the myofascial system and its related neural, lymphatic, and circulatory elements. Compression or massage of a TP causes localized pain and may cause referred pain and autonomic phenomena. The authors describe a 58-year-old woman who experienced precipitation of substantial psychological symptoms directly related to he...

Objective. To compare the effects of combined trigger point dry needling (TrP-DN) and proprioceptive/strengthening exercises to proprioceptive/strengthening exercises on pain and function in ankle instability. Methods. Twenty-seven (44% female, mean age: 33 ± 3 years) individuals with unilateral ankle instability were randomly assigned to an experimental group who received proprioceptive/streng...

This article discusses muscle pain concepts in the context of myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) and summarizes microdialysis studies that have surveyed the biochemical basis of this musculoskeletal pain condition. Though MPS is a common type of non-articular pain, its pathophysiology is only beginning to be understood due to its enormous complexity. MPS is characterized by the presence of myofasci...

Background and objectives: Trigger points and muscle spasms are painful symptoms of fibromyalgia syndrome. They result in difficulties for performing Activities of Daily Living (ADL). An effective treatment of trigger points and muscle spasms decreases the pain and further results into mobility restoration. The aim of this controlled study was to evaluate the effect of the Targeted Radiofrequen...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of traditional Thai self-massage using Wilai massage stickTM in patient with upper trapezius with myofascial trigger points. Sixty patients were randomly allocated to either a massage group using Wilai massage stickTM or a medication group. Both groups were advised to have the same daily stretching exercise. Pain intensity, pressure pain ...

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 Latent trigger points in the upper trapezius muscle may disrupt muscle movement patterns and cause problems such as cramping and decreased muscle strength. Because latent trigger points may spontaneously become active trigger points, they should be addressed and treated to prevent further problems. In this study we compared the short-term effect of kinesiotaping versus friction massa...

BACKGROUND Extreme heat is a public health challenge. The scarcity of directly comparable studies on the association of heat with morbidity and mortality and the inconsistent identification of threshold temperatures for severe impacts hampers the development of comprehensive strategies aimed at reducing adverse heat-health events. OBJECTIVES This quantitative study was designed to link temper...

INTRODUCTION The skin resistivity (SkR) measurement is commonly recommended for acupoints measurement, but for trigger points (TrPs) only one study is available. The purpose of the study was to evaluate SkR for latent TrPs compared to non-TrPs and the surrounding tissue. MATERIAL AND METHODS Forty-two healthy volunteers with unilateral latent upper trapezius TrPs (12 men, 30 women) aged 21-23...

background: as an early step in the development of a decision aid for idiopathic trigger finger (tf) we were interested in the level of decisional conflict experienced by patients and hand surgeons. this study tested the null hypothesis that there is no difference in decisional conflict between patients with one or more idiopathic trigger fingers and hand surgeons. secondary analyses address th...