title: Short-term effects of acupuncture and stretching on myofascial trigger point pain of the neck: a blinded, placebo-controlled RCT.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This trial aimed to evaluate the short-term effectiveness of acupuncture plus stretching to reduce pain and improve range of motion in patients afflicted by cervical myofascial pain syndrome.
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled crossover study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nineteen patients (11 females, eight males, 33 ± 14 years) with myofascial neck pain in randomized order received the following treatments with one week washout between: acupuncture, acupuncture plus stretching, and placebo laser acupuncture.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mechanical pain threshold (MPT, measured with a pressure algometer) represented the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes were motion-related pain (Visual Analogue Scale, VAS) and cervical range of motion (ROM, recorded by means of an ultrasonic 3D movement analysis system). Outcomes were assessed immediately prior as well as 5, 15 and 30 min post treatment. Friedman tests with post hoc Bonferroni-Holm correction were applied to compare differences between treatments.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both acupuncture as well as acupuncture plus stretching increased MPT by five, respectively, 11 percent post treatment. However, only acupuncture in combination with stretching was superior to placebo (p<0.05). There were no significant differences between interventions at 15 and 30 min post treatment. VAS did not differ between treatments at any measurement. Five minutes after application of acupuncture plus stretching, ROM was significantly increased in the frontal and the transversal plane compared to placebo (p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The combination of acupuncture and stretching could represent a suitable treatment option to improve cervical movement behavior and reduce trigger point pain in the short-term. However, additional studies further discriminating the placebo effects are still warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sports Medicine, Goethe University, Ginnheimer Landstraße 39, 60487 Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Electronic address: wilke@sport.uni-frankfurt.de.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wilke
authors.affiliation: Department of Sports Medicine, Goethe University, Ginnheimer Landstraße 39, 60487 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vogt
authors.affiliation: Department of Sports Medicine, Goethe University, Ginnheimer Landstraße 39, 60487 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Niederer
authors.affiliation: Department of Sports Medicine, Goethe University, Ginnheimer Landstraße 39, 60487 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hübscher
authors.affiliation: Department of Sports Medicine, Goethe University, Ginnheimer Landstraße 39, 60487 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rothmayr
authors.affiliation: Department of Sports Medicine, Goethe University, Ginnheimer Landstraße 39, 60487 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ivkovic
authors.affiliation: Department of Spine Diseases, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rickert
authors.affiliation: Department of Sports Medicine, Goethe University, Ginnheimer Landstraße 39, 60487 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Banzer
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D052580:Muscle Stretching Exercises; D009209:Myofascial Pain Syndromes / Q000628:therapy*; D019547:Neck Pain / Q000628:therapy*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D015990:Placebo Effect; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Acupuncture; Myofascial trigger points; Neck pain; Stretching