The Effectiveness of Trigger Point Injection Plus Kinesio Taping in Myofascial Pain Syndrome: a Randomized, Sham-Controlled Clinical Trial

Objective. Although the trigger point injection (TPI) is the most widely used treatment method in myofascial pain syndrome (MPS), other treatment methods have also been proven to be influential. Even if a certain level of pain relief is achieved after the TPI, this effect persists for a short time and a few treatment sessions are generally required. Hence, a multidisciplinary approach to treatment seems to be most useful. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the combination of TPI with kinesio taping (KT) on the trapezius muscle in the treatment of MPS. Methods. 50 patients with MPS were randomly separated into two groups (25 patients per group): Group 1: TPI plus KT; Group 2: TPI plus sham KT. Visual analog scale (VAS) and neck disability index (NDI) were recorded at baseline and 1, 3 months post-treatment. Results. The mean age of patients was 42.5 +/- 13.89 and 43.8 +/- 12.23 years in Group 1 and Group 2, respectively. In Group 1, pre- and post-treatment (at 1 and 3 months) VAS/NDI scores were 8.0 +/- 0.45/40.96 +/- 1.27, 0.08 +/- 0.28/7.51 +/- 2.55, and 0.44 +/- 0.51/8.96 +/- 3.27, respectively. In Group 2, pre- and post-treatment (at 1 and 3 months) VAS/NDI scores were 8.0 +/- 0.54/41.21 +/- 1.54, 0.25 +/- 0.44/8.35 +/- 2.75, and 2.33 +/- 1.44/13.98 +/- 5.63, respectively. VAS and NDI scores at 3 months were significantly lower in Group 1 versus Group 2 (p < 0.05). Conclusions. The complex pathology with underlying peripheral and central neural mechanisms of MPS might conduce to the difficulties within the treatment of MPS, especially within the chronic period. The combined therapy appears to generate a more influential outcome for a long run than monotherapy in alleviating pain and reforming functional amelioration in the management of MPS.