Lihui Li1,2,3, Rahel Stoop1,4, Ron Clijsen1,4,5, Erich Hohenauer1,4,5,6, César Fernández-de-Las-Peñas7,8, Qiangmin Huang3, Marco Barbero1. 1. Rehabilitation Research Laboratory 2rLab, Department of Business Economics Health and Social Care, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, Manno. 2. School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen. 3. Department of Sport Medicine and Rehabilitation Center, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China. 4. International University of Applied Sciences THIM, Landquart, Switzerland. 5. Department of Movement and Sport Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium. 6. Department of Sport and Exercise Science, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK. 7. Department of Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 8. Cátedra Institucional en Docencia, Clínica e Investigación en Fisioterapia: Terapia Manual, Punción Seca y Ejercicio Terapéutico, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Alcorcón, Madrid, Spain.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to conduct an updated systematic review of diagnostic criteria for myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) used in clinical trials of physical therapy interventions from 2007 to 2019. METHODS: MEDLINE and Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) were searched using the following MeSH keywords: "trigger points," "trigger point," "myofascial trigger point," "myofascial trigger points," "myofascial pain," and "myofascial pain syndrome." The MeSH keywords were combined by using Boolean operators "OR"/"AND." All physiotherapy clinical trials including patients with musculoskeletal conditions characterized by at least 1 active MTrP or latent MTrP in any body area were selected. We pooled data from an individual criterion and criteria combinations used to diagnose MTrPs. The protocol was developed in accordance with the PRISMA-P guidelines. RESULTS: Of 478 possibly relevant publications, 198 met the inclusion criteria. Of these 198 studies, 129 studies (65.1%) stated specifically the diagnostic criteria used for MTrPs in the main text, 56 studies (28.3%) failed to report any method whereby MTrP was diagnosed, and 13 studies (6.6%) adopted expert-based definitions for MTrPs without specification. Of 129 studies, the 6 criteria applied most commonly were: "spot tenderness" (n=125, 96.9%), "referred pain" (95, 73.6%), "local twitch response" (63, 48.8%), pain recognition (59, 45.7%), limited range of motion" (29, 22.5%), and "jump sign" (10, 7.8%). Twenty-three combinations of diagnostic criteria were identified. The most frequently used combination was "spot tenderness," "referred pain," and "local twitch response" (n=28 studies, 22%). CONCLUSIONS: A number of the included studies failed in properly reporting the MTrP diagnostic criteria. Moreover, high variability in the use of MTrP diagnostic was also observed. Spot tenderness, referred pain, and local twitch response were the 3 most popular criteria (and the most frequently used combination). A lack of transparency in the reporting of MTrP diagnostic criteria is present in the literature. REGISTRY: This systematic review was registered under the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, PROSPERO number: CRD42018087420.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to conduct an updated systematic review of diagnostic criteria for myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) used in clinical trials of physical therapy interventions from 2007 to 2019. METHODS: MEDLINE and Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) were searched using the following MeSH keywords: "trigger points," "trigger point," "myofascial trigger point," "myofascial trigger points," "myofascial pain," and "myofascial pain syndrome." The MeSH keywords were combined by using Boolean operators "OR"/"AND." All physiotherapy clinical trials including patients with musculoskeletal conditions characterized by at least 1 active MTrP or latent MTrP in any body area were selected. We pooled data from an individual criterion and criteria combinations used to diagnose MTrPs. The protocol was developed in accordance with the PRISMA-P guidelines. RESULTS: Of 478 possibly relevant publications, 198 met the inclusion criteria. Of these 198 studies, 129 studies (65.1%) stated specifically the diagnostic criteria used for MTrPs in the main text, 56 studies (28.3%) failed to report any method whereby MTrP was diagnosed, and 13 studies (6.6%) adopted expert-based definitions for MTrPs without specification. Of 129 studies, the 6 criteria applied most commonly were: "spot tenderness" (n=125, 96.9%), "referred pain" (95, 73.6%), "local twitch response" (63, 48.8%), pain recognition (59, 45.7%), limited range of motion" (29, 22.5%), and "jump sign" (10, 7.8%). Twenty-three combinations of diagnostic criteria were identified. The most frequently used combination was "spot tenderness," "referred pain," and "local twitch response" (n=28 studies, 22%). CONCLUSIONS: A number of the included studies failed in properly reporting the MTrP diagnostic criteria. Moreover, high variability in the use of MTrP diagnostic was also observed. Spot tenderness, referred pain, and local twitch response were the 3 most popular criteria (and the most frequently used combination). A lack of transparency in the reporting of MTrP diagnostic criteria is present in the literature. REGISTRY: This systematic review was registered under the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, PROSPERO number: CRD42018087420.
Authors: Luis Martín-Sacristán; Cesar Calvo-Lobo; Daniel Pecos-Martín; Josué Fernández-Carnero; José Luis Alonso-Pérez Journal: Sci Rep Date: 2022-02-24 Impact factor: 4.379
Authors: Michał Ginszt; Jacek Szkutnik; Grzegorz Zieliński; Magdalena Bakalczuk; Małgorzata Stodółkiewicz; Monika Litko-Rola; Apolinary Ginszt; Mansur Rahnama; Piotr Majcher Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2022-01-29 Impact factor: 3.390