Immediate Effects of Electro Acupuncture versus Laser Acupuncture on Pain and Disability in Women with Chronic Cervical Myofascial Pain Syndrome
,
Abstract
Introduction: Neck pain is the fourth leading cause of disability worldwide. This study aims to investigate the effects of Electro Acupuncture (EA) versus Laser Acupuncture (LA) on symptoms of women with chronic cervical myofascial pain syndrome.
Materials and Methods: This is a single-blind randomized controlled clinical trial. Thirty women with chronic cervical myofascial pain syndrome were randomly divided into three groups: EA, LA, and sham. The EA group received electrical stimulation through needles at standard acupuncture points, while the LA group received low-intensity laser irradiation at the same points. The passive laser probe was applied for the sham group. The outcome measures were neck pain pressure threshold, neck pain severity, neck disability, and cervical range of motion
Results: The pain severity and disability were significantly lower in the EA group than in the other two groups. The neck range of motion (cervical lateral flexion and rotation) and pain pressure threshold increased significantly in the EA group immediately and one week after the intervention.
Conclusion: Both EA and LA interventions may be effective in alleviating the symptoms of cervical myofascial pain syndrome, but the EA can be more effective in reducing neck pain and disability in women with cervical myofascial pain syndrome.
1. Haldeman S, Carroll L, Cassidy JD. Findings from the bone and joint decade 2000 to 2010 task force on neck pain and its associated disorders. J Occup Environ Med. 2010;52(4):424-7.
2. Furlan AD PV, Bombardier C, van Tulder M. 2009 updated method guidelines for systematic reviews in the Cochrane Back Review Group. spine. 2009;34(18):1929-41.
3. USBoD C. The State of US Health1990-2010: Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors. JAMA. 2013;310(6):591-608.
4. Hogg-Johnson S vdVG, Carroll LJ, Holm LW, Cassidy JD, Guzman J, et al. The burden and determinants of neck pain in the general population: results of the Bone and Joint Decade 2000-2010 Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders. spine. 2008;33(4 Suppl):S39-51.
5. Nolet PS CP, Kristman VL, Rezai M, Carroll LJ, Cassidy JD. Is neck pain associated with worse health-related quality of life 6 months later? A population-based cohort study. The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society. 2015;15(4):675-84
6. Rollman GB LS. Sex differences in musculoskeletal pain. The Clinical journal of pain. 2001;17(1):20-4.
7. Evans G. Identifying and treating the causes of neck pain. Medical Clinics. 2014;98(3):645-61.
8. Bogduk N. The anatomy and pathophysiology of neck pain. Physical medicine and rehabilitation clinics of North America. 2011;22(3):367-82, vii.
9. Fricton JR KR, Haley D, Siegert R. Myofascial pain syndrome of the head and neck: a review of clinical characteristics of 164 patients Oral surgery, oral medicine, and oral pathology. 1985;60(6):615-23.
10. Grosshandler SL SN, Toomey TC, Gray WF. Chronic neck and shoulder pain. Focusing on myofascial origins. Postgraduate medicine. 1985;77(3):149-51, 54-8.
11. Simons DG, Travell JG, Simons LS. Travell & Simons' myofascial pain and dysfunction: upper half of body: Lippincott williams & wilkins; 1999.
12. RD G. Diagnosis of myofascial pain syndrome. Physical medicine and rehabilitation clinics of North America. 2014;25(2):341-55.
13. VanderPloeg K, Yi X. Acupuncture in Modern Society. Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies. 2009;2(1):26-33.
14. Langevin HM, Schnyer R, MacPherson H, Davis R, Executive Board of the Society for Acupuncture R. Manual and electrical needle stimulation in acupuncture research: pitfalls and challenges of heterogeneity. J Altern Complement Med. 2015;21(3):113-28.
15. Koski BL DK, Shebuski MR. Daily activity patterns of an adult experiencing lower back pain undergoing electro-acupuncture: a case study. Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses. 2009;10(4):188-96.
16. Baxter D. Laser acupuncture analgesia: an overview. Acupuncture in Medicine. 1989;6(2):57-60.
17. Basford JR. Low intensity laser therapy: still not an established clinical tool. Lasers in surgery and medicine. 1995;16(4):331-42.
18. Dundar U, Evcik D, Samli F, Pusak H, Kavuncu V. The effect of gallium arsenide aluminum laser therapy in the management of cervical myofascial pain syndrome: a double blind, placebo-controlled study. Clinical rheumatology. 2007;26(6):930-4.
19. Sugrue M, Carolan J, Leen E, Feeley T, Moore D, Shanik G. The use of infrared laser therapy in the treatment of venous ulceration. Annals of vascular surgery. 1990;4(2):179-81.
20. Aranha MF AM, Bérzin F, Gavião MB. Efficacy of electroacupuncture for myofascial pain in the upper trapezius muscle: a case series. Brazilian Journal of Physical Therapy. 2011;15(5):371-9.
21. Zheng Z, Guo RJ, Helme RD, Muir A, Da Costa C, Xue CC. The effect of electroacupuncture on opioid-like medication consumption by chronic pain patients: a pilot randomized controlled clinical trial. Eur J Pain. 2008;12(5):671-6.
22. El-Kharbotly AM E-GA, Mohammed MA, El-Masry MR, Daoud EM, Hassan N, et al., editors. Effect of laser acupuncture versus traditional acupuncture in neck pain of cervical spondylosis. SPIE BiOS; 2014: SPIE.
23. RD G. Diagnosis of myofascial pain syndrome. Physical medicine and rehabilitation clinics of North America. 2014;25(2):341-55.
24. Collins SL, Moore RA, McQuay HJ. The visual analogue pain intensity scale: what is moderate pain in millimetres? Pain. 1997;72(1-2):95-7.
25. Ying Xia XC GW, Jieshi Cheng. Acupuncture Therapy for Neurological Diseases: A Neurobiological View. 2010.
26. Fattori B, Ursino F, Cingolani C, Bruschini L, Dallan I, Nacci A. Acupuncture treatment of whiplash injury. Int Tinnitus J. 2004;10(2):156-60.
27. Irnich D, Behrens N, Molzen H, Konig A, Gleditsch J, Krauss M, et al. Randomised trial of acupuncture compared with conventional massage and "sham" laser acupuncture for treatment of chronic neck pain. BMJ (Clinical research ed). 2001;322(7302):1574-8.
28. Gross AR, Dziengo S, Boers O, Goldsmith CH, Graham N, Lilge L, et al. Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) for Neck Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Regression. Open Orthop J. 2013;7:396-419.
29. Melzack R SD, Fox EJ Trigger points and acupuncture points for pain: Correlations and implications. pain. 1977;3(1):3-23.
30. Mousavi SJ, Parnianpour M, Montazeri A, Mehdian H, Karimi A, Abedi M, et al. Translation and validation study of the Iranian versions of the Neck Disability Index and the Neck Pain and Disability Scale. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2007;32(26):E825-31.
31. Reese NB BW. Joint Range of Motion and Muscle Length Testing. 2nd edition, Elsevier. 2010.
32. Ilbuldu E, Cakmak A, Disci R, Aydin R. Comparison of laser, dry needling, and placebo laser treatments in myofascial pain syndrome. Photomed Laser Surg. 2004;22(4):306-11.
33. Chow RT, Heller GZ, Barnsley L. The effect of 300 mW, 830 nm laser on chronic neck pain: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. Pain. 2006;124(1-2):201-10.
34. Borg-Stein J, Simons DG. Myofascial pain. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 2002;83:S40-S7.
35. Mense S SD. Muscle Pain understanding its nature, diagnosis, and treatment. LippincottWilliams&Wilkins: London. 2001.
36. Gerwin RD, Dommerholt J, Shah JP. An expansion of Simons' integrated hypothesis of trigger point formation. Current pain and headache reports. 2004;8(6):468-75.
37. Travell JG, Simons DG. Myofascial pain and dysfunction: the trigger point manual: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 1983.
38. Kim HW UD, Yoon SY, Roh DH, Kwon YB, Han HJ, et al Low-frequency electroacupuncture suppresses carrageenan-induced paw inflammation in mice via sympathetic post-ganglionic neurons, while high-frequency EA suppression is mediated by the sympathoadrenal medullary axis. Brain research bulletin. 2008;75(5):698-705.
39. Dawidson I A-MB, Blom M, Theodorsson E, Lundeberg T The influence of sensory stimulation (acupuncture) on the release of neuropeptides in the saliva of healthy subjects. Life sciences. 1998;63(8):659-74.
40. Hui KK LJ, Makris N, Gollub RL, Chen AJ, Moore CI, et al Acupuncture modulates the limbic system and subcortical gray structures of the human brain evidence from fMRI studies in normal subjects. Human brain mapping. 2000;9(1):13-25.
41. J S. Learning and memory in pain pathways. pain. 2000;88(2):113-8.
42. Sandberg M LT, Lindberg LG, Gerdle B. Effects of acupuncture on skin and muscle blood flow in healthy subjects. European journal of applied physiology. 2003;90(1-2):114-9.
43. Staud R PD. Mechanisms of acupuncture analgesia for clinical and experimental pain. Expert review of neurotherapeutics. 2006;6(5):661-7.
44. H J. neuropeptide release produced by electrical stimulation of different frequencies Trends Neurosci. Acupuncture. 2003;26(1):17-22.
45. H. Fei GXX JSH. Low and high frequency electroacupuncture stimulation release met-enkephalin and dynorphin A in rat spinal cord. Sci Bull China. 1987;32(1496-1501).
46. M.A. Hamza PFW HEA, E.A. Ghoname. Effect of the frequency of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on the postoperative opioid analgesic requirement and recovery profile. Anesthesiology. 1999;91:1232-8.
47. PMC RGoAA. The role of some neurotransmitters of brain in acupuncture analgesia. Sci Sin. 1974;17:112-30.
48. X.H. Chen SFG CGC, J.S Han. Optimal conditions for eliciting maximal electroacupuncture analgesia with dense and disperse mode stimulation. Am J Acupunct. 1994;22:47-53.
49. Brosseau L, Welch V, Wells G, Tugwell P, de Bie R, Gam A, et al. Low level laser therapy for osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis: a metaanalysis. J Rheumatol. 2000;27(8):1961-9.
50. King CE, Clelland JA, Knowles CJ, Jackson JR. Effect of helium-neon laser auriculotherapy on experimental pain threshold. Phys Ther. 1990;70(1):24-30.
51. Trelles MA ME ML, Rigau J, Baudin G, Calerhead RG. The action of low reactive level laser therapy (LLLT) on mast cells: a possible pain relief mechanism examined. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2003;4: 27-30.
2. Furlan AD PV, Bombardier C, van Tulder M. 2009 updated method guidelines for systematic reviews in the Cochrane Back Review Group. spine. 2009;34(18):1929-41.
3. USBoD C. The State of US Health1990-2010: Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors. JAMA. 2013;310(6):591-608.
4. Hogg-Johnson S vdVG, Carroll LJ, Holm LW, Cassidy JD, Guzman J, et al. The burden and determinants of neck pain in the general population: results of the Bone and Joint Decade 2000-2010 Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders. spine. 2008;33(4 Suppl):S39-51.
5. Nolet PS CP, Kristman VL, Rezai M, Carroll LJ, Cassidy JD. Is neck pain associated with worse health-related quality of life 6 months later? A population-based cohort study. The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society. 2015;15(4):675-84
6. Rollman GB LS. Sex differences in musculoskeletal pain. The Clinical journal of pain. 2001;17(1):20-4.
7. Evans G. Identifying and treating the causes of neck pain. Medical Clinics. 2014;98(3):645-61.
8. Bogduk N. The anatomy and pathophysiology of neck pain. Physical medicine and rehabilitation clinics of North America. 2011;22(3):367-82, vii.
9. Fricton JR KR, Haley D, Siegert R. Myofascial pain syndrome of the head and neck: a review of clinical characteristics of 164 patients Oral surgery, oral medicine, and oral pathology. 1985;60(6):615-23.
10. Grosshandler SL SN, Toomey TC, Gray WF. Chronic neck and shoulder pain. Focusing on myofascial origins. Postgraduate medicine. 1985;77(3):149-51, 54-8.
11. Simons DG, Travell JG, Simons LS. Travell & Simons' myofascial pain and dysfunction: upper half of body: Lippincott williams & wilkins; 1999.
12. RD G. Diagnosis of myofascial pain syndrome. Physical medicine and rehabilitation clinics of North America. 2014;25(2):341-55.
13. VanderPloeg K, Yi X. Acupuncture in Modern Society. Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies. 2009;2(1):26-33.
14. Langevin HM, Schnyer R, MacPherson H, Davis R, Executive Board of the Society for Acupuncture R. Manual and electrical needle stimulation in acupuncture research: pitfalls and challenges of heterogeneity. J Altern Complement Med. 2015;21(3):113-28.
15. Koski BL DK, Shebuski MR. Daily activity patterns of an adult experiencing lower back pain undergoing electro-acupuncture: a case study. Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses. 2009;10(4):188-96.
16. Baxter D. Laser acupuncture analgesia: an overview. Acupuncture in Medicine. 1989;6(2):57-60.
17. Basford JR. Low intensity laser therapy: still not an established clinical tool. Lasers in surgery and medicine. 1995;16(4):331-42.
18. Dundar U, Evcik D, Samli F, Pusak H, Kavuncu V. The effect of gallium arsenide aluminum laser therapy in the management of cervical myofascial pain syndrome: a double blind, placebo-controlled study. Clinical rheumatology. 2007;26(6):930-4.
19. Sugrue M, Carolan J, Leen E, Feeley T, Moore D, Shanik G. The use of infrared laser therapy in the treatment of venous ulceration. Annals of vascular surgery. 1990;4(2):179-81.
20. Aranha MF AM, Bérzin F, Gavião MB. Efficacy of electroacupuncture for myofascial pain in the upper trapezius muscle: a case series. Brazilian Journal of Physical Therapy. 2011;15(5):371-9.
21. Zheng Z, Guo RJ, Helme RD, Muir A, Da Costa C, Xue CC. The effect of electroacupuncture on opioid-like medication consumption by chronic pain patients: a pilot randomized controlled clinical trial. Eur J Pain. 2008;12(5):671-6.
22. El-Kharbotly AM E-GA, Mohammed MA, El-Masry MR, Daoud EM, Hassan N, et al., editors. Effect of laser acupuncture versus traditional acupuncture in neck pain of cervical spondylosis. SPIE BiOS; 2014: SPIE.
23. RD G. Diagnosis of myofascial pain syndrome. Physical medicine and rehabilitation clinics of North America. 2014;25(2):341-55.
24. Collins SL, Moore RA, McQuay HJ. The visual analogue pain intensity scale: what is moderate pain in millimetres? Pain. 1997;72(1-2):95-7.
25. Ying Xia XC GW, Jieshi Cheng. Acupuncture Therapy for Neurological Diseases: A Neurobiological View. 2010.
26. Fattori B, Ursino F, Cingolani C, Bruschini L, Dallan I, Nacci A. Acupuncture treatment of whiplash injury. Int Tinnitus J. 2004;10(2):156-60.
27. Irnich D, Behrens N, Molzen H, Konig A, Gleditsch J, Krauss M, et al. Randomised trial of acupuncture compared with conventional massage and "sham" laser acupuncture for treatment of chronic neck pain. BMJ (Clinical research ed). 2001;322(7302):1574-8.
28. Gross AR, Dziengo S, Boers O, Goldsmith CH, Graham N, Lilge L, et al. Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) for Neck Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Regression. Open Orthop J. 2013;7:396-419.
29. Melzack R SD, Fox EJ Trigger points and acupuncture points for pain: Correlations and implications. pain. 1977;3(1):3-23.
30. Mousavi SJ, Parnianpour M, Montazeri A, Mehdian H, Karimi A, Abedi M, et al. Translation and validation study of the Iranian versions of the Neck Disability Index and the Neck Pain and Disability Scale. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2007;32(26):E825-31.
31. Reese NB BW. Joint Range of Motion and Muscle Length Testing. 2nd edition, Elsevier. 2010.
32. Ilbuldu E, Cakmak A, Disci R, Aydin R. Comparison of laser, dry needling, and placebo laser treatments in myofascial pain syndrome. Photomed Laser Surg. 2004;22(4):306-11.
33. Chow RT, Heller GZ, Barnsley L. The effect of 300 mW, 830 nm laser on chronic neck pain: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. Pain. 2006;124(1-2):201-10.
34. Borg-Stein J, Simons DG. Myofascial pain. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 2002;83:S40-S7.
35. Mense S SD. Muscle Pain understanding its nature, diagnosis, and treatment. LippincottWilliams&Wilkins: London. 2001.
36. Gerwin RD, Dommerholt J, Shah JP. An expansion of Simons' integrated hypothesis of trigger point formation. Current pain and headache reports. 2004;8(6):468-75.
37. Travell JG, Simons DG. Myofascial pain and dysfunction: the trigger point manual: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 1983.
38. Kim HW UD, Yoon SY, Roh DH, Kwon YB, Han HJ, et al Low-frequency electroacupuncture suppresses carrageenan-induced paw inflammation in mice via sympathetic post-ganglionic neurons, while high-frequency EA suppression is mediated by the sympathoadrenal medullary axis. Brain research bulletin. 2008;75(5):698-705.
39. Dawidson I A-MB, Blom M, Theodorsson E, Lundeberg T The influence of sensory stimulation (acupuncture) on the release of neuropeptides in the saliva of healthy subjects. Life sciences. 1998;63(8):659-74.
40. Hui KK LJ, Makris N, Gollub RL, Chen AJ, Moore CI, et al Acupuncture modulates the limbic system and subcortical gray structures of the human brain evidence from fMRI studies in normal subjects. Human brain mapping. 2000;9(1):13-25.
41. J S. Learning and memory in pain pathways. pain. 2000;88(2):113-8.
42. Sandberg M LT, Lindberg LG, Gerdle B. Effects of acupuncture on skin and muscle blood flow in healthy subjects. European journal of applied physiology. 2003;90(1-2):114-9.
43. Staud R PD. Mechanisms of acupuncture analgesia for clinical and experimental pain. Expert review of neurotherapeutics. 2006;6(5):661-7.
44. H J. neuropeptide release produced by electrical stimulation of different frequencies Trends Neurosci. Acupuncture. 2003;26(1):17-22.
45. H. Fei GXX JSH. Low and high frequency electroacupuncture stimulation release met-enkephalin and dynorphin A in rat spinal cord. Sci Bull China. 1987;32(1496-1501).
46. M.A. Hamza PFW HEA, E.A. Ghoname. Effect of the frequency of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on the postoperative opioid analgesic requirement and recovery profile. Anesthesiology. 1999;91:1232-8.
47. PMC RGoAA. The role of some neurotransmitters of brain in acupuncture analgesia. Sci Sin. 1974;17:112-30.
48. X.H. Chen SFG CGC, J.S Han. Optimal conditions for eliciting maximal electroacupuncture analgesia with dense and disperse mode stimulation. Am J Acupunct. 1994;22:47-53.
49. Brosseau L, Welch V, Wells G, Tugwell P, de Bie R, Gam A, et al. Low level laser therapy for osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis: a metaanalysis. J Rheumatol. 2000;27(8):1961-9.
50. King CE, Clelland JA, Knowles CJ, Jackson JR. Effect of helium-neon laser auriculotherapy on experimental pain threshold. Phys Ther. 1990;70(1):24-30.
51. Trelles MA ME ML, Rigau J, Baudin G, Calerhead RG. The action of low reactive level laser therapy (LLLT) on mast cells: a possible pain relief mechanism examined. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2003;4: 27-30.
| Files | ||
| Issue | Vol 16 No 3 (2022) | |
| Section | Research Article(s) | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.18502/jmr.v16i3.10151 | |
| Keywords | ||
| Electro acupuncture Laser acupuncture Neck pain Myofascial pain syndrome | ||
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How to Cite
1.
Bahadori Bozchelooee A, Bashardoust Tajali S, Fakhari Z, Hadizadeh M. Immediate Effects of Electro Acupuncture versus Laser Acupuncture on Pain and Disability in Women with Chronic Cervical Myofascial Pain Syndrome. jmr. 2022;16(3):271-279.
