Purpose: The purpose of this article was to determine whether strength is altered in the upper trapezius in the presence of latent myofascial trigger points (MTrP). Methods: This study was case controlled and used convenience sampling. The sample recruited was homogeneous with respect to age, sex, height, and body mass. Participants were assessed for the presence of latent MTrP in the upper trapezius and placed into two groups: an experimental group that had latent MTrP in the upper trapezius and a control group that did not. Eighteen women (mean age 21.4 y, SD 1.89; mean height 156.9 cm, SD 4.03; and mean body mass 51.7 kg, SD 5.84) made up the experimental group, and 19 women (mean age 20.3 y, SD 1.86; mean height 158.6 cm, SD 3.14; and mean body mass 53.2 kg, SD 5.17) made up the control group. We obtained strength measurements of the non-dominant arm using a handheld dynamometer and compared them between the two groups. Results: The difference in the strength measurements between the two groups was not statistically significant (p ¼ 0.59). Conclusions:The presence of latent MTrPs may not affect the strength of the upper trapezius.

Purpose: This study investigated the effect of myofascial release in relieving the symptoms of Chronic Tension Type Headache (CTTH) Methods: The study used a convenience sampling pretest-post test design. 31 people (7 men and 24 women, age range 18-58 years, mean age 32 years) with CTTH participated in the study. The headache sample was screened for MTrP in the cranial and pericranial muscles and was treated with myofascial release therapy. The outcomes were measured in terms of the number of headache days in a week and the headache pain level measured in visual analog scale (VAS). Analysis: The analysis was done using paired 't' test at 95% confidence interval Results: The study showed significant improvements in reduction of the number of headache days (p < 0.001) and the headache pain level (p < 0.001) following treatment. Conclusion and Implications: Myofascial release therapy to the trigger points in people with CTTH has a positive influence in decreasing pain intensity and frequency in CTTH sufferers. In future, during management of CTTH screening for myofascial trigger points and concomitant treatment using myofascial release could be considered.

Purpose: To compare neck pain and disability between people with and without latent myofascial trigger points (MTrP) in Upper Trapezius. Methods: The participants of the study were asked to fill the Northwick Park Neck Pain Questionnaire (NPNQ) following which bilateral upper trapezius muscles were assessed for the presence of latent MTrP. The participants were placed into two groups; an experimental group who had latent MTrP in upper trapezius and a control group who did not have trigger points. Twenty seven people (22 women and 5 men, age range 18 to 22 years, mean age 19.62 +/-1.33 years) were in the experimental group and Fifteen people (10 women and 5 men, age range 18 to 23 years, mean age 18.86 +/-1.55 years) were in the control group. Analysis: The scores from the NPNQ was compared between the two groups using unpaired't' test. Results: The results showed that the neck pain and disability is significantly higher in people with latent MTrP than the people without Latent MTrP. Conclusion: The latent MTrP despite of being quiescent might have a significant role to play in influencing neck pain and disability.