Clinical efficacy of different needling manipulations in treatment of myofascial pain syndrome

ObjectiveTo observe the efficacy of different needle manipulation techniques at myofascial trigger points （MTrPs） in treating myofascial pain syndrome （MPS） and to determine which technique is more advantageous.MethodsA total of 108 MPS patients were randomly divided into a twisting group （36 cases， with 5 dropouts）， a lifting-thrusting group （36 cases， with 3 dropouts）， and a non-manipulation group （36 cases， with 6 dropouts）. The twisting group and lifting-thrusting group received twisting or lifting-thrusting techniques for 1 min at MTrPs， respectively， while the non-manipulation group retained the needles without manipulation for 1 min. Treatments were administered every other day， totaling 3 sessions. Before and after the first treatment and after the final treatment， patients completed the short-form McGill pain questionnaire （SF-MPQ）， including the pain rating index （PRI）， visual analog scale （VAS）， and present pain intensity （PPI） scores. Young’s modulus values at MTrPs were measured using ultrasound elastography before and after treatment. The Massachusetts acupuncture sensation scale （MASS） was used during each treatment to record the types and intensity of needling sensations. Clinical efficacy was evaluated after the final treatment.ResultsAfter the final treatment， SF-MPQ， PRI， VAS， PPI scores， and Young’s modulus values decreased （PPPPPPPPConclusionBoth twisting and lifting-thrusting techniques at MTrPs yield better clinical outcomes for MPS than non-manipulation， with the lifting-thrusting technique demonstrating superior overall efficacy. The lifting-thrusting technique is more advantageous than twisting in eliciting twitching sensations during MTrP acupuncture.