Evaluation of Shoulder Microcirculation Abnormality Using Laser Doppler Flowmetry

Taipau Chia,Guo-Dung Hung,Jian-Guo Bau,Che-Ming Hu,Sz-Huan Tsai

doi:10.3390/diagnostics12010143

Taipau Chia, Guo-Dung Hung + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics12010143

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Journal: Diagnostics	Publication Date: Jan 7, 2022
Citations: 1	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Kuang Tien General Hospital, Hungkuang University

Abstract

Severe neck-shoulder pain induces functional limitations in both life and work. The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics of shoulder microcirculation abnormality in workers. This study recruited 32 workers and patients, both n = 16. Questionnaires were administered, and Laser Doppler Flowmetry (LDF) was used to measure microcirculatory blood flow (MBF) at the myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) on the shoulders. The absolute-deviationMMBF represented the mean MBF (MMBF) variability among subjects. The differences in the life characteristics, shoulder pain level, and microcirculatory characteristics at MTrPs between the two groups were compared. It was found that shoulder pain level was significantly higher in the patient than in the control group (p < 0.001). Deviation of the MMBF value beyond the postulated “normal range” of 60–80 was significantly higher in the patient than in the control group (p < 0.001). The MMBF deviation was significantly correlated with shoulder pain level, pain duration, and the symptom effect (p < 0.01, n = 32). A normal range for the MMBF of 60–80 on the shoulder near MTrPs is hypothesized for the first time based on this study. Noninvasive LDF can be used to assess abnormality in the MBF on shoulder MTrPs at an early stage.

Highlights

In the 3C-prevalent age, most people have become physically inactive
The results indicate that the mean microcirculatory blood flow (MMBF) of the two groups were butdeviation that the deviation beyond the normal rangewas was markedly higher in thein the patient group butsimilar, that the beyond the normal range markedly higher patient in the control group
This study used Laser Doppler Flowmetry (LDF) to investigate the MMBF at myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) of the subjects with various levels of shoulder pain, and it is the first to postulate the normal range of MMBF at the shoulder sites near where MTrPs frequently occurred

Summary

Introduction

Physical inactivity due to societal changes toward more sedentary behaviors is leading to health problems [1]. Severe neck-shoulder pain (NSP) caused by sedentary life has affected the quality of both work and life. Risk factors for developing neck pain include low satisfaction with the workplace environment, keyboard position close to the body, low work-task variation, and self-perceived medium/high muscular tension [2]. The continuous development of workplace health-promotion measurement tools is the focus of the phase of efforts aimed to addressing the severity of musculoskeletal disorders. Methods to assess shoulder and neck pain include the visual analogue scale (VAS) score [5], Neck Disability Index, neck mobility, muscle strength [6,7], white-light spectroscopy, Laser Doppler Flowmetry (LDF) [8,9], and quantitative imaging biomarkers [10]. Pan et al suggested that the skin perfusion pressure (SPP) measured using

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