Journal of bodywork and movement therapies
-
Due to a change in the production schedule of this journal, two issues of this article were due within a month of each other, which precluded the usual group of authors from contributing to the current paper, but they will participate in this review in the next issue. This overview includes several articles questioning the use of dry needling (DN) by non-acupuncturists, which continues to be a controversial topic especially in the United States. ⋯ The results were mixed and not necessarily consistent among studies. The research of the clinical management of TrPs is still limited, because of small sample sizes, insufficient power, the inherent risk of the introduction of bias, and poor study methodologies.
-
Clinical Trial
Neurophysiological and clinical effects of dry needling in patients with upper trapezius myofascial trigger points.
Dry needling (DN) is a widely used in treatment of myofascial trigger points (MTrPs). The purpose of this pretest-posttest clinical trial was to investigate the neurophysiological and clinical effects of DN in patients with MTrPs. ⋯ A single session of DN to the active upper trapezius MTrP was effective in improving pain, PPT, NMJR, and SSR in patients with myofascial trigger points. Further studies are needed.
-
This edition of the overview of the current myofascial pain literature includes 24 studies, case reports and systematic and narrative reviews. Surprisingly, five of the 24 papers were difficult to read and interpret mostly because of a poor mastery of the English language. ⋯ Of course, it is exciting that researchers and clinicians from all over the world continue to focus on myofascial pain and attempt to shed new light on the complexity of the problem to improve the clinical decision-making process and eventually clinical approaches and outcomes. There were no new papers on manual therapies, but many focused on dry needling.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
The effect of Kinesio taping technique on trigger points of the piriformis muscle.
Kinesio taping (KT) is a novel method which has recently emerged as a viable option to treat various musculoskeletal and neuromuscular deficits. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of KT on pain and hip joint range of motion (ROM) in individuals with myofacial trigger points in the piriformis muscle. ⋯ Our findings suggests that KT application may be effective for pain relief and increasing ROM in patients with myofacial trigger points in the piriformis muscle.
-
Manual pressure release (MPR) is a popular treatment of trigger points. Yet, treatment response may be influenced by inconsistent application of pressure. Further, it may contribute to increased risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders of the wrist and hand in therapists. ⋯ Results showed no significant differences in post-treatment PPT between the study groups (p > 0.05). The APR group showed a significant increase in passive side-bending range compared with the two other groups, whereas active range improved in the APR compared with the US group (p < 0.05). Our results show that using algometer to apply pressure release to upper trapezius trigger points is more effective compared with manual release and sham US.