Rob Grieve

The immediate effect of soleus trigger point pressure release on restricted ankle joint dorsiflexion: A pilot randomised controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES The primary aim of this study was to investigate the immediate effect on restricted active ankle joint dorsiflexion range of motion (ROM), after a single intervention of trigger point (TrP) pressure release on latent soleus myofascial trigger points (MTrPs). The secondary aim was to assess aspects of the methodological design quality, identify limitations and propose areas for improvement in future research. DESIGN A pilot randomised control trial. PARTICIPANTS Twenty healthy volunteers (5 men and 15 women; mean age 21.7±2.1 years) with a restricted active ankle joint dorsiflexion. INTERVENTION Participants underwent a screening process to establish both a restriction in active ankle dorsiflexion and the presence of active and latent MTrPs in the soleus muscle. Participants were then randomly allocated to an intervention group (TrP pressure release) or control group (no therapy). RESULTS The results showed a statistically significant (p=0.03) increase of ankle ROM in the intervention compared to the control group. CONCLUSION This study identified an immediate significant improvement in ankle ROM after a single intervention of TrP pressure release on latent soleus MTrPS. These findings are clinically relevant, although the treatment effect on ankle ROM is smaller than a clinical significant ROM (5°). Suggestions for methodological improvements may inform future MTrP research and ultimately benefit clinical practice in this under investigated area.

An evidence-informed review of the current myofascial pain literature--January 2015.

This article provides an up-to-date review of the most recent publications about myofascial pain, trigger points (TrPs) and other related topics. We have added some commentaries where indicated with supporting references. In the Basic Research section, we reviewed the work by Danish researchers about the influence of latent TrPs and a second study of the presence and distribution of both active and latent TrPs in whiplash-associated disorders. The section on Soft Tissue Approaches considered multiple studies and case reports of the efficacy of myofascial release (MFR), classic and deep muscle massage, fascial techniques, and connective tissue massage. Dry needling (DN) is becoming a common approach and we included multiple studies, reviews, and case reports, while the section on Injection Techniques features an article on TrP injections following mastectomy and several articles about the utilization of botulinum toxin. Lastly, we review several articles on modalities and other clinical approaches.

A critical overview of the current myofascial pain literature – October 2015

The number of publications about myofascial pain and trigger points (TrP) seems to increase every year. In the current overview we include 27 articles published in past months. The Basic Review section includes articles about the presence and characteristics of TrPs in various neck and shoulder muscles, the correlation between referred pain from active TrPs and knee osteoarthritis, and an anatomical study exploring whether the location of TrPs may be related to the nerve innervation of muscles. Zuil-Escobar and colleagues from Spain considered the intra-rater reliability of the identification of latent TrPs in several leg muscles and the possible correlation of TrP and the presence of a lower medial longitudinal arch. In the section on manual approaches, contributing author Rob Grieve and colleagues continue their studies of TrPs in the lower extremity muscles, while Méndez-Rebolledo and colleagues studied the impact of cross taping and compression. Dry needling (DN) continues to be a topic of interest. We included twelve papers addressing a wide range of topics, such as the effectiveness and safety of DN, and the impact of DN on proprioception, spasticity, and fibromyalgia. Two papers investigated the utilization of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and laser on TrPs, The final section on other clinical studies and reviews includes 8 papers. The studies originated in thirteen different countries with Spain leading the charts with 7 contributions to the literature, followed by Brazil with four. As we have mentioned in previous editions of this literature overview, many studies suffer from very small sample sizes, which makes it difficult to reach definitive conclusions. Nevertheless, myofascial pain continues to be a topic of interest to researchers and clinicians around the globe.

A critical overview of the current myofascial pain literature – March 2016

The worldwide interest in myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) and trigger points (TrPs) is reflected in the increasing number of publications. In this overview of the literature, we included 26 studies, case reports and review articles by authors from 18 different countries. Several research groups are exploring the characteristic of TrPs such as Chen and colleagues, who continued their work on the quantification of the taut bands. Meng and colleagues studied the relationships between TrPs and central sensitization, while Yu and colleagues examined the electrophysiological characteristics that occur as a result of active TrPs. Several researchers used objective measurements to determine clinical outcomes, such as Koppenhaver and colleagues who measured objective changes in the function and nociceptive sensitivity of lumbar multifidus muscle subjects with low back pain. Turo and colleagues quantified muscle tissue changes after dry needling in chronic myofascial pain using elastography. Multiple studies explored various treatment options for TrPs, such as dry needling, injections with lidocaine or granisetron, traditional Thai massage, self-myofascial release, kinesiotaping, and monochromatic infrared photo energy, among others.

A critical overview of the current myofascial pain literature – September 2016

This edition of the overview of the current myofascial pain literature includes 24 studies, case reports and systematic and narrative reviews. Surprisingly, five of the 24 papers were difficult to read and interpret mostly because of a poor mastery of the English language. It is somewhat surprising that journal editors and reviewers would accept papers that are needlessly difficult to read and not direct the authors to language services or others who could improve the quality of the writings. Of course, it is exciting that researchers and clinicians from all over the world continue to focus on myofascial pain and attempt to shed new light on the complexity of the problem to improve the clinical decision-making process and eventually clinical approaches and outcomes. There were no new papers on manual therapies, but many focused on dry needling.

A critical overview of the current myofascial pain literature – July 2016

The overview of the myofascial pain literature includes a wide variety of basic and clinical studies, ranging from assessing muscle activation patterns to the impact of platelet-rich plasma injections. Contributions to the literature once again came from all corners of the world, such as Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Germany, Greece, Iran, Italy, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, and the USA. A total of 30 papers are included in this overview.