Article
Neurosciences
Seoyoung Lee, Heeyoung Moon, Yeonhee Ryu, In-Seon Lee, Younbyoung Chae
Summary: This study compared the properties of myofascial trigger points (TPs) and control points, and found that deep compression at TPs was associated with higher muscle tone and stiffness, lower unpleasantness ratings, and higher relief ratings compared with the control points. These findings suggest that, at least for some TPs, pain and pleasantness are simultaneously elicited by deep pressure stimulation.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Eva Maria Martinez-Jimenez, Raquel Jimenez-Fernandez, Inmaculada Corral-Liria, David Rodriguez-Sanz, Cesar Calvo-Lobo, Daniel Lopez-Lopez, Eduardo Perez-Boal, Bibiana Trevisson-Redondo, Jessica Grande-del-Arco
Summary: This study found that latent myofascial trigger points improved pain pressure threshold after calf MIT, but there was no change in ankle dorsiflexion with knee bent or knee flexed in healthy subjects.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Anna Katarzyna Cyganska, Pawel Tomaszewski, Anna Cabak
Summary: This study aimed to determine the pain threshold of selected superficial muscles of the back, taking into account trigger point activity, in young and healthy males and females. The results showed that women had a greater number of active trigger points and lower pain thresholds compared to men. The study also found that a sample size of 30 people was sufficient to detect variations in the pain threshold at trigger points.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Maira Rezende Formenton, Karine Portier, Beatriz Ribeiro Gaspar, Lisa Gauthier, Lin Tchia Yeng, Denise Tabacchi Fantoni
Summary: This study examined the number and location of trigger points in police working dogs, finding a higher percentage of trigger points in the spinal and hind limb muscles, especially on the right side. These findings can help improve methods to prevent muscle pain and reduce early retirement in police working dogs.
Article
Neurosciences
Seoyoung Lee, In-Seon Lee, Younbyoung Chae
Summary: This study explored the relationship between acupuncture points and myofascial trigger points (TPs) and found that TPs are closely related to Ashi points. However, TPs also share some features with other acupuncture points, making it difficult to clarify their relationship with other subgroups.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Edurne Ubeda-D'Ocasar, Juan Antonio Valera-Calero, Gracia Maria Gallego-Sendarrubias, Cesar Fernandez-de-Las-Penas, Jose Luis Arias-Buria, Matilde Morales-Cabezas, Lars Arendt-Nielsen, Margarita Cigaran-Mendez
Summary: This study found a good convergent association between S-LANSS and PainDETECT in women with FMS. Additionally, S-LANSS was associated with PPTs whereas PainDETECT was associated with pain intensity and CSI, suggesting that both questionnaires assess different spectrums of the neuropathic and pain sensitization components of the condition and hence provide synergistic information.
Article
Orthopedics
Petra Baeumler, Kerstin Hupe, Dominik Irnich
Summary: This study aimed to determine the diagnostic criteria for myofascial pain syndromes (MPS). Through physical examinations of 61 chronic pain patients, we found that the most common diagnostic criteria for MPS in the back muscles were taut bands, hypersensitive spots within a taut band, nodules within a taut band, and referred pain. Additionally, restricted range of motion, pain during contraction, pain exacerbation during emotional stress, muscular weakness, jump sign, local twitch response, and autonomic phenomena were identified as complementary diagnostic criteria. Based on these observations, we proposed diagnostic criteria for myofascial trigger points.
BMC MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS
(2023)
Review
Rehabilitation
Dario E. Mazza, Robert D. Boutin, Abhijit J. Chaudhari
Summary: This study systematically reviewed literature on the objective characterization of myofascial pain syndrome and myofascial trigger points using imaging methods. The findings suggest that biomechanical properties and blood flow differences exist in active and latent myofascial trigger points compared to healthy tissue. More studies are needed to assess diagnostic test accuracy and reproducibility of results for implementing imaging methods in larger clinical studies.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL MEDICINE & REHABILITATION
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Mingjian Liu, Yu Liu, Xuan Li, Miao Pei, Mei Han, Feng Qi
Summary: Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is a chronic pain disorder characterized by myofascial trigger points (MTrPs). This study found that MEF2C is involved in the inflammatory pathogenesis of MTrPs, and suggested that DEX may serve as a potential therapeutic strategy for MPS treatment.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Wiktoria Matuska, Jakub Matuska, Elzbieta Skorupska, Maria Siwek, Pablo Herrero, Manel M. Santafe
Summary: This paper summarizes the available literature on modeling nociplastic pain and myofascial trigger points (MTrPs). It includes studies describing animal model creation and presents the results of experiments. Although there is currently insufficient evidence to describe MTrPs as nociplastic pain, this study provides a possible direction for detecting and studying the correlation between MTrPs and nociplastic pain in animal models.
JOURNAL OF PAIN RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Maria Pilar Lopez-Royo, Paolo Pedersini, Raquel Cantero-Tellez, Kristin Valdes, Victor Domenech-Garcia, Pablo Herrero, Jorge Hugo Villafane
Summary: The study found that ischemic compression of FDI-MTrPs in patients with thumb CMC OA can help decrease local pain sensitivity, showing potential benefits in symptom improvement.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2021)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Thomas Perreault, Andrew Ball, Jan Dommerholt, Robert Theiss, Cesar Fernandez-de-las-Penas, Raymond Butts
Summary: This article provides a scoping review of the current evidence on the mechanisms of intramuscular electrical stimulation (IMES) to trigger points (TrPs). The included studies suggest that IMES can regulate muscle blood flow, decrease endplate noise of TrPs, and produce analgesic effects. However, the limited amount and quality of available evidence make it difficult to determine the clinical implications of IMES to TrPs.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Review
Biology
Frauke Mueggenborg, Ester Moreira de Castro Carletti, Liz Dennett, Ana Izabela Sobral de Oliveira-Souza, Norazlin Mohamad, Gunnar Licht, Harry von Piekartz, Susan Armijo-Olivo
Summary: The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of evidence from randomized controlled trials on the effectiveness of manual trigger point therapy for orofacial pain. Four studies were included in this systematic review, and it was found that manual trigger point therapy was equally effective and safe for individuals with orofacial myofascial trigger points. However, the overall quality of evidence was found to be very low due to the high risk of bias in the included studies, and further well-designed trials are needed in this field.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Ryota Imai, Masakazu Imaoka, Hidetoshi Nakao, Mitsumasa Hida, Fumie Tazaki, Takao Inoue, Junya Orui, Misa Nakamura
Summary: Chronic pain is associated with sarcopenia and central sensitization, which should be evaluated in older adults.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Giovanni Barassi, Raffaello Pellegrino, Celeste Di Matteo, Loris Prosperi, Edoardo Di Simone, Celeste Marinucci, Noemi Pepe, Federico Papa, Marta Odorisio, Valentina Zincani, Ilaria Gabriella Micolucci, Ali Younes, Angelo Di Iorio
Summary: This study considered data from 10 patients with non-specific chronic low back pain. The patients underwent six sessions of electrical neuromodulation applied to the areas of the skin with the most perturbed electrical conduction. The study observed improvements in the balance of electrical activity, temperature, disability caused by chronic low back pain, and pressure-pain threshold.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL REGULATORS AND HOMEOSTATIC AGENTS
(2023)
Article
Anesthesiology
Cesar Fernandez-de-las-Penas, Ignacio Cancela-Cilleruelo, Paloma Moro-Lopez-Menchero, Jorge Rodriguez-Jimenez, Oscar J. Pellicer-Valero, Jose D. Martin-Guerrero, Lars Arendt-Nielsen
Summary: This multicenter cohort study investigated the prevalence and risk factors of musculoskeletal post-COVID pain. The study found that musculoskeletal pain remains highly prevalent one year after hospitalization, with female sex, previous history of pain symptoms, pain symptoms at onset, and days at hospital being associated factors.
Article
Anesthesiology
Umut Varol, Edurne Ubeda-D'Ocasar, Margarita Cigaran-Mendez, Jose Luis Arias-Buria, Cesar Fernandez-de-las-Penas, Gracia Maria Gallego-Sendarrubias, Juan Antonio Valera-Calero
Summary: This study aimed to quantify the relationships between clinical, psychophysical, and psychological outcomes in women with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) using network analysis. The findings revealed local associations between psychophysical and clinical sensory-related variables, with the strongest correlation observed between pressure pain thresholds on the knee and tibialis anterior muscle. These results have important implications for developing treatment strategies.
Article
Anesthesiology
Cesar Fernandez-de-las-Penas, Paula Paras-Bravo, Diego Ferrer-Pargada, Ignacio Cancela-Cilleruelo, Jorge Rodriguez-Jimenez, Jo Nijs, Lars Arendt-Nielsen, Manuel Herrero-Montes
Summary: This study investigated the association between various variables and Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI) in previously hospitalized COVID-19 survivors experiencing post-COVID pain. The results showed that psychological and cognitive variables, such as anxiety levels and pain intensity, were independently associated with CSI scores. This suggests a significant overlap with psychological constructs and indicates important changes in pain processing for managing post-COVID pain.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Lars Arendt Nielsen, Patricia Schepman, Karin Hygge Blakeman, Stefan Wilhelm, Rebecca Robinson, Craig Beck, Johan Liseth Hansen, Ola Rolfson
Summary: This study aims to explore prescription patterns of difficult-to-treat osteoarthritis (OA) patients and possible predictors of unmet pain relief. The results showed significant issues in medication use among these patients, suggesting inadequate pain management. Comorbidities and socioeconomic burden were identified as important risk factors for continued use of opioids.
SCANDINAVIAN JOURNAL OF PAIN
(2023)
Article
Rehabilitation
Erik Thoomes, Deborah Falla, Joshua A. Cleland, Cesar Fernandez-de-las-Penas, Alessio Gallina, Marloes de Graaf
Summary: This study aims to establish consensus on effective conservative treatment modalities for lumbar radiculopathy (LR) across different stages. Experts agree that the effectiveness of interventions differs through the evolution of LR.
DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Lidiane L. Florencio, Maria Palacios-Cena, Stella Fuensalida-Novo, Ana De-la-Llave-Rincon, Silvia Ambite-Quesada, Ricardo Ortega-Santiago, Jose L. Arias-Buria, Margarita Cigaran-Mendez, Lars Arendt-Nielsen, Cesar Fernandez-de-Las-Penas
Summary: This 2-year longitudinal study aims to evaluate sensory-related, psychological, and psychophysical pain sensitisation manifestations and a potential epigenetic biomarker as prognostic clinical outcomes for the development of chronic postoperative pain after knee or hip replacement. The study will assess various variables such as pain, function, disability, anxiety, depression, quality of life, sensitisation-associated symptoms, neuropathic pain, and catastrophizing before surgery and at multiple time points after surgery. The study results will contribute to improving the prediction and intervention of chronic pain after surgery.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Stefano Di Antonio, Lars Arendt-Nielsen, Marta Ponzano, Francesca Bovis, Paola Torelli, Cinzia Finocchi, Matteo Castaldo
Summary: This study aimed to assess pain sensitivity in different phases of migraine cycle. The results showed that high-frequency episodic migraine patients had a sensory profile similar to chronic migraine patients, while low-frequency episodic migraine patients had differences. Therefore, considering the phase of headache attacks is crucial when evaluating pain sensitivity in migraine populations.
NEUROLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Rehabilitation
Cesar Fernandez-de-las-Penas, Chad Cook, Joshua A. Cleland, Lidiane L. Florencio
Summary: This article discusses the relationship between the cervical spine and tension-type headache, proposing that the cervical spine may be a component of tension-type headache rather than its primary cause. Individuals with tension-type headache often exhibit concomitant neck pain, cervical spine sensitivity, forward head posture, limited cervical range of motion, and disturbances in cervical motor control. Therefore, physical therapies targeting the cervical spine, such as upper cervical spine mobilization or manipulation, soft tissue interventions, and exercises, may be considered for managing tension-type headache, but treatment effectiveness should be based on individual clinical reasoning.
MUSCULOSKELETAL SCIENCE AND PRACTICE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Cesar Fernandez-de-las-Penas, Stella Fuensalida-Novo, Jo Nijs, Annalie Basson, Gustavo Plaza-Manzano, Juan A. Valera-Calero, Lars Arendt-Nielsen, Ana I. de-la-Llave-Rincon
Summary: In 2021, the IASP proposed a grading system for classifying patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) into different pain phenotypes. The presence of a nociplastic or mixed-type pain phenotype in CTS patients may explain the lack of clinical effectiveness of selective treatments targeting the carpal tunnel area. Therefore, identifying the predominant pain phenotype in CTS patients is important for achieving better treatment outcomes.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Giovanni Lopez, Fabio Cataldi, Giuseppe Bellin, James Dunning, Cesar Fernandez-de-las-Penas, Erasmo Galeno, Roberto Meroni, Filippo Maselli, Firas Mourad
Summary: Neck pain is a common musculoskeletal disorder, but it can be an early manifestation of more serious conditions, such as cardiovascular diseases mimicking musculoskeletal pain. This case report highlights the importance of physiotherapists being able to triage patients for conditions beyond their scope.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Carlos Lopez-de-Celis, Cesar Fernandez-de-Las-Penas, Miguel Malo-Urries, Isabel Albarova-Corral, Jose L. Arias-Buria, Albert Perez-Bellmunt, Jacobo Rodriguez-Sanz, Vanessa Gonzalez-Rueda, Sergio Borella-Andres
Summary: A study compared the precision and safety of ultrasound-guided versus palpation-guided needling procedure for targeting the ulnar nerve. Results showed that ultrasound guidance improved the accuracy and reduced the distance to the target, as well as the risk of damaging surrounding structures. However, the ultrasound-guided procedure took longer.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Johan Roikjer, Suganthiya Santhiapillai Croosu, Mette Krabsmark Borbjerg, Tine Maria Hansen, Jens Brondum Frokjaer, Lars Arendt-Nielsen, Niels Ejskjaer, Carsten Dahl Morch
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of histamine-induced flare response and optimize the time required for assessment. The results showed that flare area size had better diagnostic performance than mean flare intensity and could distinguish people with and without diabetic peripheral neuropathy after 4 minutes. Flare area size achieved a diagnostic performance comparable to a full examination after 6-7 minutes.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Stefano Di Antonio, Lars Arendt-Nielsen, Marta Ponzano, Francesca Bovis, Paola Torelli, Pelosin Elisa, Cinzia Finocchi, Matteo Castaldo
Summary: This observational study successfully differentiated between different types of migraine, including ictal/perictal and interictal phases, using clinical and psychophysical bedside tools. These findings have important implications for determining the treatment response and effectiveness of migraine medications.
NEUROLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Rehabilitation
Ignacio Cancela-Cilleruelo, Jorge Rodriguez-Jimenez, Cesar Fernandez-de-Las-Penas, Lars Arendt-Nielsen, Jose L. Arias-Buria
Summary: This explorative study found that 16% and 35% of the people with lateral elbow tendinopathy had sensitization- and neuropathic-associated symptoms respectively. Sensitization- and neuropathic-associated symptoms were associated, and pressure pain sensitivity at the elbow was related to neuropathic-associated symptoms.
PHYSIOTHERAPY THEORY AND PRACTICE
(2023)
Article
Rehabilitation
Stefano Di Antonio, Lars Arendt-Nielsen, Matteo Castaldo
Summary: Currently, examination of migraine patients relies on a clinical interview investigating symptoms characteristics. However, to identify distinct migraine subtypes and allow personalized treatment, biomarkers to profile these subtypes should be utilized in clinical and research settings. Therefore, physical and psychophysical examinations aimed at quantitatively assessing migraine features should be included.
MUSCULOSKELETAL SCIENCE AND PRACTICE
(2023)