The Effect of Extra Corporeal Shock Wave Therapy versus Ultrasound Therapy in Patients with Myofascial Pain Syndrome in Trapezius Muscle - Abstract
Aim: To evaluate the effect of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) versus ultrasound therapy (US) in myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) of trapezius muscle
Methods: Sixty patients with active myofascial trigger points (MTrP) in the trapezius muscle were included. Patients were randomly allocated into two groups , group I consisted of 30 patients received four sessions of combined radial and focus ESWT protocol (once/week) and group II consisted of 30 patients treated with ultrasound therapy for total of 12 sessions over 4 weeks (3 sessions /week). The efficacy of the therapy was evaluated prior to therapy and 4 weeks after treatment initiation using the number of active trigger points ,
visual analogue scale of both local and referred pain, the tenderness grading scale, Neck Disability Index Scale (NDI), The Constant-Murley score (CMS),the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) and patients’ satisfaction after therapy .
Results: There was no significant difference found between groups in age, sex, occupation and disease duration. There were no withdrawals from the study or any significant complications. In both Groups there was significant improvement in all clinical parameters compared with baseline after 4weeks of therapy initiation. When comparing both groups after 4 weeks of therapy, there was significant improvement in all clinical parameters in Group 1 more than that in Group II.
Conclusion: ESWT is effective to relieve pain, anxiety and improves function in patients with myofascial pain syndrome. Further studies with a larger number of participants and longer follow up period will be needed.