Upper trapezius

Introduction: Myofascial Pain Syndrome (MPS) is a common disorder of musculoskeletal system. About one third of the people with musculoskeletal disorders have been diagnosed as having MPS. It is a painful condition caused by trigger points. A variety of treatment approaches are used to cure MPS and its associated disorders. This study aimed to investigate the effects of single session Intramuscular Electrical Stimulation (IMES) through dry needling on pain and Range Of Motion (ROM) following trigger points in upper trapezius.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of kinesio-taping on the range
of motion of cervical lateral flexion point in subjects with trigger point in upper trapezius muscle.
Methods: A total of 32 subjects with myofascial trigger point in their upper trapezius muscles
participated in this randomized controlled trial (RCT). The subjects were randomly assigned
to two groups: Kinesio-taping (KT) (n=16) and KT placebo (n=16). Their ipsilateral and
contralateral cervical lateral flexion range of motion was measured before and immediately after
treatment in both groups using a standard goniometer. Paired t-test was used to determine any
significant difference in the range of motion after treatment sessions compared with pretreatment
score in the control and experimental group. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was calculated
to determine the significance of differences between two groups in posttest scores, with
pretreatment scores used as covariates in the analysis.
Results: Statistical analysis (paired t-test) revealed no significant increase in cervical lateral
flexion range of motion in both ipsilateral and contralateral side immediately after KT application
in both groups compared with pretreatment score (P>0.05). In the ANCOVA, with controlling
pretest scores, no significant difference was found between the two groups (KT and placebo)
after treatment sessions (P>0.05)
Conclusion: Application of kinesio taping cannot immediately produces an improvement in
cervical lateral flexion in subjects with trigger point in upper trapezius muscles.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of the Positional Release Therapy (PRT) for treating Myofascial Trigger Points (MTrPs) in the upper trapezius muscle on outcomes of pain, Range of Motion (ROM) and disability. Methods: Twenty-one patients of mean age 29±12.48 years were screened for inclusion/exclusion criteria. The PRT was administered three times a week for 4 weeks. The verbal Numerical Pain Rating scale (NPRS), active cervical contralateral flexion (ACLF) and Neck Disability Index (NDI) were recorded at baseline, 2 and 4 weeks. Descriptive statistics in the form of mean and standard deviation were used to analyze the data. Results and Conclusion: Increase in ROM and alleviated levels of pain and disability were noted in all participants post treatment. This case series suggests that a short-term manual therapy technique, such as the PRT would be beneficial in treating individuals with upper trapezius TrPs.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of the Integrated Neuromuscular Inhibition Technique (INIT) for treating Myofascial Trigger Points (MTrPs) in the upper trapezius muscle on outcomes of pain, Range of Motion (ROM) and disability. Methods: 18 patients mean age 27± of 14.78 years were screened for inclusion/exclusion criteria. The INIT was administered three times a week for 4 weeks. The verbal Numerical Pain Rating scale (NPRS), cervical lateral flexion ROM and Neck Disability Index (NDI) were recorded at baseline, 2 and 4 weeks. Results and Conclusion: There were positive changes in all outcome measures for all eighteen participants. An increase in ROM and reduced levels of pain and disability were noted. This case series suggests that a short-term multimodal therapy would be beneficial for individuals with upper trapezius MTrPs. Important preliminary data was collected that will inform more rigorous research in this field of research.