Comparing the Effectiveness of Different Modalities for Myofascial Pain Relief: A Systematic Review

Title: Comparing the Effectiveness of Different Modalities for Myofascial Pain Relief: A Systematic Review Authors: TediJo Pederson, Sola Yeager, Dr. Shane Murphy Purpose: Myofascial pain is a prevalent health problem faced by a large percentage of the general population. Prevalence of myofascial pain has been estimated to affect 46%-85% of the general population at some point during their lifetime. The objective of this systematic review was to compare the effectiveness of dry needling (DN), trigger point compression (TPC), and cupping at treating patients with myofascial pain. Methods: In this systematic review, PubMed was used to search for literature pertaining to DN, TPC, and cupping in the treatment of patients with myofascial pain. No filters were applied to our PubMed search results. Our population of interest was anyone who was suffering from myofascial pain (MP) or pain stemming from myofascial trigger points (MTP) and received dry needling (DN), cupping, or trigger point compression (TPC). Visual analog scale (VAS) was chosen as an outcome measure in this systematic review. 63 peer reviewed articles met our initial search criteria. After reading titles, abstracts, and the full text, 16 articles met all inclusion criteria and were used in this study. Originality: Currently, there is no published literature that compares the efficacy of DN, TPC, or cupping. By determining which modality is the most effective at treating patients with MTP or myofascial pain, clinicians can provide enhanced care and provide the patient with maximal pain relief. Significance: DN and TPC were both shown to decrease pain in short-term periods. However, clinicians should treat patients with MTP or myofascial pain with DN as it was the only examined modality able to provide pain relief in both short-term and long-term periods. We cannot recommend cupping as an effective method to treat patients with MTP or myofascial pain due to a lack of literature. Clinicians who lack access to DN may use TPC, however, it is unknown how long TPC may relieve patients of pain