Myofascial Trigger Points therapy decreases myotonometric tone and stiffness of trapezius muscle, benefits headaches and muscle pain in migraine

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Migraine is a primary headache disorder. Studies have shown that 93% of people with migraine have an increased number of active myofascial trigger points (MTrPs). OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of the IC-MTrPs therapy on: (1) mechanical properties of the upper trapezius muscle (UTM), (2) shoulder girdle and neck (SGN) muscles pain and (3) headaches characteristics in episodic migraine patients without aura. METHODS: Thirty-one adult, female, migraine patients without aura underwent seven Ischemic Compression Myofascial Trigger Points (IC-MTrPs) therapy sessions and were tested during maximally five measurement sessions (pre- and post-1’st, post-4’th, post-7’th therapy and 1-month follow-up). Myotonometric measurements of the UTM’s tone, stiffness and elasticity, subjective SGN muscles pain, as well as headache’s level, frequency and duration were analyzed. RESULTS: Myotonometric tone and stiffness of the UTM significantly decreased in post-1’st, post-4’th therapy and in 1-month follow-up measurements versus pre-1’st therapy testing session. The scores for the SGN muscles’ pain significantly decreased: (i) in post-4’th and post-7’th therapy versus post-1’st therapy session, and (ii) in post-7’th versus post-4’th therapy measurements. Headache’s level, frequency and duration significantly decreased in post-7’th therapy versus pre-1’st therapy measurement session. CONCLUSION: IC-MTrPs therapy resulted in a decrease of upper trapezius muscle tone and stiffness, with simultaneous alleviation of shoulder girdle and neck muscle pain and the headaches characteristics in episodic migraine patients without aura.

Improving Function and Quality of Life in Patients with Chronic Neck Pain, Tension-Type Headache, and Forward Head Posture: The Role of Eyeball Exercise and Cervical Stabilization Programs

“…They also reported that the cause was nerve root compression at the trigeminal and cervical nerves due to increased muscle tone. Olesiejuk et al [ 34 ] applied ischemic pressure on the neck and shoulder muscles in patients with TTH who had neck and shoulder pain and reported that the muscle tone in the neck and shoulder region decreased after 3 weeks of intervention (p<.05). Park and Park [ 35 ] applied a suboccipital muscle relaxation exercise combined with an ultrasound treatment in patients with TTH and reported that the suboccipital muscle tone decreased significantly after 4 weeks (p<.05).…”

Immediate Effects of Muscle Tension and Pain to Myofascial Release and Duoball Assisted Self-Relaxation Techniques in Patients Experiencing Chronic Cervical Pain

“…Patients with chronic neck pain who met the inclusion criteria were randomly assigned to a myofascial release group and a myofascial release group using the Duoball (Figure 1). Random assignment was stratified by sex, and selection bias was minimized by using Random assignment software (Version 2.0, Isfahan, Iran) [27]. Randomization ensured that participants were blinded to whether they were in the experimental or control group.…”

“…All were found to decrease by about 10% in the suboccipital muscle, SCM, Pect m, UT, and LS, and the decrement results showed an increase of about 15% in the suboccipital muscle, SCM, Pect m, UT, and LS in both the MFR and DASR groups(p＜0.05). Olesiejuk M et al [27] showed that muscle tension in the upper trapezius muscle was reduced by more than 30% after 7 interventions in patients suffering from migraine, and Bohlen L et al [28] performed MFR in 20 subjects. As a result of applying, it was reported that the muscle tension of the upper trapezius muscle was reduced and elasticity was significantly increased.…”