Remote therapeutic effectiveness of acupuncture in treating myofascial trigger point of the upper trapezius muscle.
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to investigate the remote effect of acupuncture (AcP) on the pain intensity and the irritability of the myofascial trigger point in the upper trapezius muscle.


METHODS
Forty-five patients were equally divided into three groups: patients in the placebo control group received sham AcP, those in the simple needling group were treated using simple needling, and those in the modified AcP received AcP with the rapid "screwed in and out" into multiple sites to elicit local twitch responses. The acupoints of Wai-guan and Qu-chi were treated. The outcome assessments included changes in subjective pain intensity, pressure pain threshold, range of motion, and mean amplitude of endplate noise in the myofascial trigger point region.


RESULTS
Immediately after acupuncture, all measured parameters improved significantly in the simple needling and modified AcP groups, but not in the placebo control group. There were significantly larger changes in all parameters in the modified AcP group than that in the simple needling group.


CONCLUSIONS
The myofascial trigger point irritability could be suppressed after a remote acupuncture treatment. It appears that needling to the remote AcP points with multiple needle insertions of modified AcP technique is a better technique than simple needling insertion of simple needling technique in terms of the decrease in pain intensity and prevalence of endplate noise and the increase in pressure pain threshold in the needling sites (represented either AcP points and or myofascial trigger points). We have further confirmed that the reduction in endplate noise showed good correlation with a decreased in pain.
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
Li-Wei
LW
Chou
Yueh-Ling
YL
Hsieh
Hsin-Shui
HS
Chen
Chang-Zern
CZ
Hong
Mu-Jung
MJ
Kao
Ting-I
TI
Han
D015669:Acupuncture Points; D015670:Acupuncture Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D000328:Adult; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004576:Electromyography / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009209:Myofascial Pain Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017288:Pain Threshold / Q000502:physiology; D012016:Reference Values; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D061028:Trigger Points; D055815:Young Adult