• Ozden Ozyemisci Taskiran, Havvanur Albayrak, Mahir Topaloglu, Mete Manici, Aysegul Ketenci, and Yavuz Gurkan.
• Koc University School of Medicine, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Topkapi, Istanbul, Turkey.
• Pain Physician. 2023 Nov 1; 26 (7): E815E822E815-E822.

BackgroundMyofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is a condition characterized by trigger points in the taut bands of skeletal muscles, commonly affecting the trapezius, rhomboid, and supraspinatus muscles. Rhomboid intercostal block (RIB), an interfascial plane block used to assist perioperative analgesia might be a potential treatment option in MPS.ObjectivesTo investigate the short and long-term effects of ultrasound-guided RIB in reducing the severity of pain, disability, and improving quality of life in MPS patients with trigger points in the rhomboid muscle.Study DesignRetrospective study.SettingPhysical medicine and rehabilitation outpatient clinic in a university hospital.MethodsPatients with a diagnosis of MPS who received ultrasound (US)-guided RIB between November 2021 and January 2022 were enrolled in this study. All patients reported pain lasting >= 3 months and severity >= 4/10 on numeric rating scale (NRS), without any comorbidities affecting the neuromuscular system. Trigger points in the rhomboid muscle were treated with US-guided RIB. Pain intensity was evaluated using a NRS at pre-treatment and one week, one month and one year after the injection. At pre-treatment, one month, and one year after treatment, self-administered neck pain and disability scale and Nottingham Health Profile were evaluated.ResultsA total of 23 patients were included in this study (5 men and 18 women, with an average age of 45). Pain severity was statistically significantly reduced in approximately 90%, 60-70%, and 50% of the chronic MPS patients at the first week, first month, and first year following injection, respectively. Disability scores improved significantly in 70% and 56% of those patients at the first month and first-year follow-up. Improvement in the quality of life was observed at the first month and maintained at the first-year follow-up.LimitationsThe retrospective design of this study is a limitation. Due to the lack of a control group, this treatment option could not be compared with other treatments.ConclusionsOur study demonstrated that RIB might be an effective long-term treatment option for MPS in the reduction of pain and disability, improvement of quality of life and overall patient satisfaction.

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