Research Article
BibTex RIS Cite
Year 2022, Volume: 8 Issue: 5, 573 - 582, 04.09.2022
https://doi.org/10.18621/eurj.1005161

Abstract

References

  • 1. Cummings M, Baldry P. Regional myofascial pain: diagnosis and management. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol 2007;21:367-87.
  • 2. Lavelle ED, Lavelle W, Smith HS. Myofascial trigger points. Anesthesiol Clin 2007;25:841-51.
  • 3. Hong CZ. Treatment of myofascial pain syndrome. Curr Pain Headache Rep 2006;10:345-9.
  • 4. Chakravarthy K, Chaudhry H, Williams K, Christo PJ. Review of the uses of vagal nerve stimulation in chronic pain management. Curr Pain Headache Rep 2015;19:1-9.
  • 5. Kampusch S, Kaniusas E, Széles JC. Modulation of muscle tone and sympathovagal balance in cervical dystonia using percutaneous stimulation of the auricular vagus nerve. Artif Organs 2015;39:E202-12.
  • 6. Tough EA, White AR, Richards S, Campbell J. Variability of criteria used to diagnose myofascial trigger point pain syndrome - evidence from a review of the literature. Clin J Pain 2007;23:278-86.
  • 7. Chandola HC, Chakraborty A. Fibromyalgia and myofascial pain syndrome-a dilemma. Indian J Anaesth 2009;53:575-81.
  • 8. Sola AE, Bonica JJ. Myofascial pain syndromes. The Management of Pain. 2nd edition. Philadelphia: Lea & Febiger, 1990: p.67.
  • 9. Delgado DA, Lambert BS, Boutris N, McCulloch PC, Robbins AB, Moreno MR, et al. Validation of digital visual analog scale pain scoring with a traditional paper-based visual analog scale in adults. J Am Acad Orthop Surg Glob Res Rev 2018;2:1-63.
  • 10. Pöntinen PJ. Reliability, validity, reproducibility of algometry in diagnosis of active and latent tender spots and trigger points. J Musculoskelet Pain 1998;6:61-71.
  • 11. Dorf ER, Chhabra AB, Golish SR, McGinty JL, Pannunzio ME. Effect of elbow position on grip strength in the evaluation of lateral epicondylitis. J Hand Surg Am 2007;32:882-6.
  • 12. Sletten DM, Suarez GA, Low PA, Mandrekar J, Singer W. COMPASS 31: a refined and abbreviated Composite Autonomic Symptom Score. In: Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Elsevier, 2012: pp.1196-201.
  • 13. Ware Jr JE, Sherbourne CD. The MOS 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36): I. Conceptual framework and item selection. Med Care 1992;473-83.
  • 14. Hou CR, Tsai LC, Cheng KF, Chung KC, Hong CZ. Immediate effects of various physical therapeutic modalities on cervical myofascial pain and trigger-point sensitivity. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2002;83: 1406-14.
  • 15. Simons DG. Clinical and etiological update of myofascial pain from trigger points. J Musculoskelet Pain 1996;4:93-122.
  • 16. Ge HY, Fernández-de-las-Peñas C, Arendt-Nielsen L. Sympathetic facilitation of hyperalgesia evoked from myofascial tender and trigger points in patients with unilateral shoulder pain. Clin Neurophysiol 2006;117:1545-50.
  • 17. Morikawa Y, Takamoto K, Nishimaru H, Taguchi T, Urakawa S, Sakai S, et al. Compression at myofascial trigger point on chronic neck pain provides pain relief through the prefrontal cortex and autonomic nervous system: a pilot study. Front Neurosci 2017;11:1-13.
  • 18. Yuan H, Silberstein SD. Vagus nerve and vagus nerve stimulation, a comprehensive review: part II. Headache. J Head Face Pain 2016;56:259-66.
  • 19. Busch V, Zeman F, Heckel A, Menne F, Ellrich J, Eichhammer P. The effect of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation on pain perception–an experimental study. Brain Stimul 2013;6:202-9.
  • 20. Hubbard DR, Berkoff GM. Myofascial trigger points show spontaneous needle EMG activity. Spine 1993;18:1803-7.
  • 21. Hanten WP, Olson SL, Butts NL, Nowicki AL. Effectiveness of a home program of ischemic pressure followed by sustained stretch for treatment of myofascial trigger points. Phys Ther 2000;80:997-1003.
  • 22. Hains G, Descarreaux M, Hains F. Chronic shoulder pain of myofascial origin: a randomized clinical trial using ischemic compression therapy. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2010;33:362-9.
  • 23. Jafari M, Bahrpeyma F, Togha M. Effect of ischemic compression for cervicogenic headache and elastic behavior of active trigger point in the sternocleidomastoid muscle using ultrasound imaging. J Bodyw Mov Ther 2017;21:933-9.
  • 24. Fryer G, Hodgson L. The effect of manual pressure release on myofascial trigger points in the upper trapezius muscle. J Bodyw Mov Ther, Int J Osteopath Med 2005;9:248-55.
  • 25. Clancy JA, Mary DA, Witte KK, Greenwood JP, Deuchars SA, Deuchars J. Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation in healthy humans reduces sympathetic nerve activity. Brain Stimul 2014;7:871-7.
  • 26. Ozden AV, Alptekin HK, Esmaeilzadeh S, Cihan C, Aki S, Aksoy C, et al. Evaluation of the sympathetic skin response to the dry needling treatment in female myofascial pain syndrome patients. J Clin Med Res 2016;8:513-8.
  • 27. Laqua R, Leutzow B, Wendt M, Usichenko T. Transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation may elicit anti- and pro-nociceptive effects under experimantally-induced pain – A crossover placebo-controlled investigation. Auton Neurosci 2014;185:120-2.
  • 28. Usichenko T, Laqua R, Leutzow B, Lotze M. Preliminary findings of cerebral responses on transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation on experimental heat pain. Brain Imaging Behav 2017;11:30-7.
  • 29. Ay I, Napadow V, Ay H. Electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve dermatome in the external ear is protective in rat cerebral ischemia. Brain Stimul 2015;8:7-12.
  • 30. Ay I, Nasser R, Simon B, Ay H. Transcutaneous cervical vagus nerve stimulation ameliorates acute ischemic injury in rats. Brain Stimul 2016;9:166-73.

Short-term effectiveness of auricular vagus nerve stimulation in patients with myofascial pain syndrome

Year 2022, Volume: 8 Issue: 5, 573 - 582, 04.09.2022
https://doi.org/10.18621/eurj.1005161

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of auricular vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) applied in addition to ischemic compression and stretching exercises on pain, trigger point (TP) sensitivity, grip strength, quality of life and autonomic functions in patients with myofascial pain syndrome (MPS).

Methods: Sixty patients, who had neck pain, met the diagnostic MPS criteria of Travell and Simons were included in the study. The subjects were randomly divided into VNS group (n = 30) or control group (n = 30). Each group performed 10 sessions of TP ischemic compression and stretching exercises (5 days/week). Ten sessions of 30-minute long auricular VNS were added to the treatment in VNS group. Pain severity [Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)], TP sensitivity (algometer), grip strength (Jamar dynamometer), quality of life [Short Form-36 (SF-36)] and autonomic function [Composite Autonomic Symptom Scale-31 (Compass-31)] were evaluated before and after 10 sessions of treatment.


Results:
The VAS, algometer and Jamar measurements showed significant improvement in both groups. A statistically significant improvement was found in orthostatic intolerance, secretomotor and pupillomotor subscales of Compass-31 scale in the VNS group following the treatment (p < 0.05) while no significant difference was observed in the control group (p > 0.05). The control group showed significant improvement in all parameters of SF-36 scale, while the VNS group showed significant improvement in physical function, social functionality and pain parameters (p < 0.05). The changes in the VAS, algometer, Jamar scores and secretomotor subscale of the Compass-31 scale were statistically higher in the VNS group than in the control group (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p = 0.001 and p = 0.011, respectively).


Conclusions:
It can be argued that auricular VNS increases the effectiveness of ischemic compression and stretching exercises in patients with MPS. Further and detailed studies are needed in which the effect of VNS alone or in combination with other treatments in patients with MPS is examined and the physiological mechanisms are investigated.

References

  • 1. Cummings M, Baldry P. Regional myofascial pain: diagnosis and management. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol 2007;21:367-87.
  • 2. Lavelle ED, Lavelle W, Smith HS. Myofascial trigger points. Anesthesiol Clin 2007;25:841-51.
  • 3. Hong CZ. Treatment of myofascial pain syndrome. Curr Pain Headache Rep 2006;10:345-9.
  • 4. Chakravarthy K, Chaudhry H, Williams K, Christo PJ. Review of the uses of vagal nerve stimulation in chronic pain management. Curr Pain Headache Rep 2015;19:1-9.
  • 5. Kampusch S, Kaniusas E, Széles JC. Modulation of muscle tone and sympathovagal balance in cervical dystonia using percutaneous stimulation of the auricular vagus nerve. Artif Organs 2015;39:E202-12.
  • 6. Tough EA, White AR, Richards S, Campbell J. Variability of criteria used to diagnose myofascial trigger point pain syndrome - evidence from a review of the literature. Clin J Pain 2007;23:278-86.
  • 7. Chandola HC, Chakraborty A. Fibromyalgia and myofascial pain syndrome-a dilemma. Indian J Anaesth 2009;53:575-81.
  • 8. Sola AE, Bonica JJ. Myofascial pain syndromes. The Management of Pain. 2nd edition. Philadelphia: Lea & Febiger, 1990: p.67.
  • 9. Delgado DA, Lambert BS, Boutris N, McCulloch PC, Robbins AB, Moreno MR, et al. Validation of digital visual analog scale pain scoring with a traditional paper-based visual analog scale in adults. J Am Acad Orthop Surg Glob Res Rev 2018;2:1-63.
  • 10. Pöntinen PJ. Reliability, validity, reproducibility of algometry in diagnosis of active and latent tender spots and trigger points. J Musculoskelet Pain 1998;6:61-71.
  • 11. Dorf ER, Chhabra AB, Golish SR, McGinty JL, Pannunzio ME. Effect of elbow position on grip strength in the evaluation of lateral epicondylitis. J Hand Surg Am 2007;32:882-6.
  • 12. Sletten DM, Suarez GA, Low PA, Mandrekar J, Singer W. COMPASS 31: a refined and abbreviated Composite Autonomic Symptom Score. In: Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Elsevier, 2012: pp.1196-201.
  • 13. Ware Jr JE, Sherbourne CD. The MOS 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36): I. Conceptual framework and item selection. Med Care 1992;473-83.
  • 14. Hou CR, Tsai LC, Cheng KF, Chung KC, Hong CZ. Immediate effects of various physical therapeutic modalities on cervical myofascial pain and trigger-point sensitivity. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2002;83: 1406-14.
  • 15. Simons DG. Clinical and etiological update of myofascial pain from trigger points. J Musculoskelet Pain 1996;4:93-122.
  • 16. Ge HY, Fernández-de-las-Peñas C, Arendt-Nielsen L. Sympathetic facilitation of hyperalgesia evoked from myofascial tender and trigger points in patients with unilateral shoulder pain. Clin Neurophysiol 2006;117:1545-50.
  • 17. Morikawa Y, Takamoto K, Nishimaru H, Taguchi T, Urakawa S, Sakai S, et al. Compression at myofascial trigger point on chronic neck pain provides pain relief through the prefrontal cortex and autonomic nervous system: a pilot study. Front Neurosci 2017;11:1-13.
  • 18. Yuan H, Silberstein SD. Vagus nerve and vagus nerve stimulation, a comprehensive review: part II. Headache. J Head Face Pain 2016;56:259-66.
  • 19. Busch V, Zeman F, Heckel A, Menne F, Ellrich J, Eichhammer P. The effect of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation on pain perception–an experimental study. Brain Stimul 2013;6:202-9.
  • 20. Hubbard DR, Berkoff GM. Myofascial trigger points show spontaneous needle EMG activity. Spine 1993;18:1803-7.
  • 21. Hanten WP, Olson SL, Butts NL, Nowicki AL. Effectiveness of a home program of ischemic pressure followed by sustained stretch for treatment of myofascial trigger points. Phys Ther 2000;80:997-1003.
  • 22. Hains G, Descarreaux M, Hains F. Chronic shoulder pain of myofascial origin: a randomized clinical trial using ischemic compression therapy. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2010;33:362-9.
  • 23. Jafari M, Bahrpeyma F, Togha M. Effect of ischemic compression for cervicogenic headache and elastic behavior of active trigger point in the sternocleidomastoid muscle using ultrasound imaging. J Bodyw Mov Ther 2017;21:933-9.
  • 24. Fryer G, Hodgson L. The effect of manual pressure release on myofascial trigger points in the upper trapezius muscle. J Bodyw Mov Ther, Int J Osteopath Med 2005;9:248-55.
  • 25. Clancy JA, Mary DA, Witte KK, Greenwood JP, Deuchars SA, Deuchars J. Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation in healthy humans reduces sympathetic nerve activity. Brain Stimul 2014;7:871-7.
  • 26. Ozden AV, Alptekin HK, Esmaeilzadeh S, Cihan C, Aki S, Aksoy C, et al. Evaluation of the sympathetic skin response to the dry needling treatment in female myofascial pain syndrome patients. J Clin Med Res 2016;8:513-8.
  • 27. Laqua R, Leutzow B, Wendt M, Usichenko T. Transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation may elicit anti- and pro-nociceptive effects under experimantally-induced pain – A crossover placebo-controlled investigation. Auton Neurosci 2014;185:120-2.
  • 28. Usichenko T, Laqua R, Leutzow B, Lotze M. Preliminary findings of cerebral responses on transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation on experimental heat pain. Brain Imaging Behav 2017;11:30-7.
  • 29. Ay I, Napadow V, Ay H. Electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve dermatome in the external ear is protective in rat cerebral ischemia. Brain Stimul 2015;8:7-12.
  • 30. Ay I, Nasser R, Simon B, Ay H. Transcutaneous cervical vagus nerve stimulation ameliorates acute ischemic injury in rats. Brain Stimul 2016;9:166-73.
There are 30 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Rehabilitation
Journal Section Original Articles
Authors

Simay Ünal This is me 0000-0001-7082-621X

Dilber Karagözoğlu Coşkunsu 0000-0002-4511-6950

Sefa Haktan Hatık 0000-0003-0517-4600

Ali Veysel Özden 0000-0003-2349-996X

Publication Date September 4, 2022
Submission Date October 20, 2021
Acceptance Date May 18, 2022
Published in Issue Year 2022 Volume: 8 Issue: 5

Cite

AMA Ünal S, Karagözoğlu Coşkunsu D, Hatık SH, Özden AV. Short-term effectiveness of auricular vagus nerve stimulation in patients with myofascial pain syndrome. Eur Res J. September 2022;8(5):573-582. doi:10.18621/eurj.1005161

e-ISSN: 2149-3189 


The European Research Journal, hosted by Turkish JournalPark ACADEMIC, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

by-nc-nd.png

2024