Comparison of low intensity laser therapy and trigger point injection in the management of myofascial pain syndrome

Abstract

AbstractMyofascial Pain Syndrome (MPS) is quite a common clinical manifestation characterised by the presence of trigger points (TrP), muscle spasm, tenderness, motion restriction, weakness and autonomic dysfunction. The ideal therapy should be fast, cheap and long-term effective. Local anesthetic injection and low-intensity laser therapy are two types of such treatments. Aim: The main purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of TrP injection and low intensity laser therapy in patients with MPS. Method: 43 patients (14 men, 29 women) diagnosed as MPS were included in this study. In the first group (23 cases), laser therapy was applied for 3 min to each TrP within 12 sessions. In the second group (20 cases), 1 ml prilocaine 2% was injected to the TrP once a week for four consecutive weeks. The evaluation was made before the treatment (BT), after the treatment (AT) and sixth months after the treatment (SMT). Effectiveness of treatment was evaluated by a visual analog scale (VAS), a pressure al...