Background

Muscle pain is commonly caused by a condition known as myofascial pain syndrome, which involves sensitive areas called trigger points (TrP). While some physiotherapy treatments help, it’s important to understand how they compare to each other, especially regarding long-term effects and placebo impacts.

Study Overview

This study aimed to compare two treatments for upper trapezius muscle trigger points: intramuscular electrical stimulation (IMES) and dry needling (DN). The research was conducted from December 2020 to April 2021 with 30 participants who received three treatment sessions.

What We Measured

The main goals were to evaluate:

Neck range of motion (ROM)
Size of the trigger points
Pain levels (using a visual analog scale)
Pain pressure threshold (how much pressure a person can tolerate before feeling pain)
Disability impact
Muscle blood flow

Results

Key findings included:

The IMES group saw a significant increase in neck range of motion compared to the DN group.
Trigger point size decreased more in the IMES group.
Pain levels did not differ significantly between the two groups.
The IMES group experienced a greater improvement in pain pressure threshold.
Other measures, such as disability and stiffness, did not show significant differences.
Muscle blood flow improved more in the IMES group.

Conclusion

Both IMES and DN showed promise in treating upper trapezius trigger points, but IMES was more effective in several key areas. Further studies are recommended to explore these treatments more thoroughly.