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The immediate effects of deep transverse friction massage, high- power pain threshold ultrasound and whole body vibration on active myofascial trigger points.

Journal of bodywork and movement therapies
October 1, 2023
Mehrdad Sadeghnia et al. (6 authors)
Randomized Controlled TrialJournal ArticleHuman StudyClinical
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to compare the immediate effects of Whole-Body Vibration (WBV) with deep transverse friction massage and high-power pain threshold ultrasound on treating active myofascial trigger points in the upper trapezius muscle.

Results Summary

WBV significantly reduced pain intensity (VAS) more than the other interventions, improved pressure pain threshold (PPT) similarly to other treatments, and increased active contralateral lateral flexion range of motion (CLF ROM) more than deep transverse friction massage.

Population

66 men with active myofascial trigger points in the upper trapezius muscle.

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

Immediate effects (single session)

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (15)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
deep transverse friction massage (DTFM)
decrease
VAS
men with active TrPs of upper trapezius muscle
-
substantially improved
#1
deep transverse friction massage (DTFM)
increase
pressure pain threshold (PPT)
men with active TrPs of upper trapezius muscle
-
substantially improved
#2
deep transverse friction massage (DTFM)
increase
active contralateral lateral flexion range of motion (CLF ROM) of the neck
men with active TrPs of upper trapezius muscle
-
substantially improved
#3
high-power pain threshold ultrasound (HPPTUS)
decrease
VAS
men with active TrPs of upper trapezius muscle
-
substantially improved
#4
high-power pain threshold ultrasound (HPPTUS)
increase
pressure pain threshold (PPT)
men with active TrPs of upper trapezius muscle
-
substantially improved
#5
high-power pain threshold ultrasound (HPPTUS)
increase
active contralateral lateral flexion range of motion (CLF ROM) of the neck
men with active TrPs of upper trapezius muscle
-
substantially improved
#6
whole body vibration (WBV)
decrease
VAS
men with active TrPs of upper trapezius muscle
-
substantially improved
#7
whole body vibration (WBV)
increase
pressure pain threshold (PPT)
men with active TrPs of upper trapezius muscle
-
substantially improved
#8
whole body vibration (WBV)
increase
active contralateral lateral flexion range of motion (CLF ROM) of the neck
men with active TrPs of upper trapezius muscle
-
substantially improved
#9
whole body vibration (WBV)
decrease
VAS
participants in the WBV group
-
significantly more reduction in pain
#10
deep transverse friction massage (DTFM)
no change
PPT values
-
-
no significant differences
#11
high-power pain threshold ultrasound (HPPTUS)
no change
PPT values
-
-
no significant differences
#12
whole body vibration (WBV)
no change
PPT values
-
-
no significant differences
#13
high-power pain threshold ultrasound (HPPTUS)
increase
CLF ROM value
-
-
significant increase
#14
whole body vibration (WBV)
increase
CLF ROM value
-
-
significant increase
#15
Abstract

BACKGROUND: The most important clinical problem in myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is trigger points (TrPs). The aim of the present study was to investigate the comparison of immediate effect of deep transverse friction massage (DTFM), high-power pain threshold ultrasound (HPPTUS), and whole body vibration (WBV) on treatment of active myofascial trigger points (MTrPs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: sixty six men with active TrPs of upper trapezius muscle were randomly divided into three equal groups: DTFM, HPPT US, and WBV. Pain intensity based on the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), pressure pain threshold (PPT) and active contralateral lateral flexion range of motion (CLF ROM) of the neck were evaluated before and immediately after the interventions. RESULTS: The VAS, PPT and the active CLF ROM were substantially improved after intervention in all groups (P < 0.01). When the three groups were compared regarding VAS, participants in the WBV group reported significantly more reduction in pain (P < 0.01). On comparing the interventions, there were no significant differences in PPT values (P > 0.05). The CLF ROM value in HPPTUS and WBV groups have significant increase in comparison to the DTFM group. CONCLUSION: All three interventions can improve neck pain, PPT and ROM in participants with active TrPs in upper trapezius muscle, but due to the fact that the DTFM has more pressure on therapist fingers, and the HPPTUS technique requires proper interaction with the participants, WBV can be used as one of the effective intervention on active MTrPs of upper trapezius. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: IRCT20200518047498N1.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
MaleHumansTrigger PointsPain ThresholdFrictionVibrationMyofascial Pain SyndromesNeck PainMassage
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy85/10
Quality75/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations1
Citations/Year0.5
Relative Citation Ratio0.59
NIH Percentile31.7%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.25
Weight Score2.34
Normalized Score0.69
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