Myofascial pain
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Research Articles
Published research studies are articles that present the findings of original research that has undergone a peer-review process and has been made publicly available in scholarly journals, books or other media.
Acupuncture for pain, mandibular function and oral health‐related quality of life in patients with masticatory myofascial pain: A randomised controlled trial
2020 Jul 31 Journal of Oral Rehabilitation Salles‐Neto FT, Paula JS, Romero JGAJ, Almeida‐Leite CM
Although acupuncture was effective in pain reduction, non-specific factors may have influenced mandibular function and oral health-related quality of life improvements in both groups, and this needs to be further addressed.
Randomised Controlled Trial Masticatory Myofascial Pain
Acupuncture in the management of trigeminal neuralgia
2020 Jun Acupuncture in Medicine Edwards, J. W., & Shaw, V.
Systematic ReviewAcupuncture appears more effective than pharmacotherapy or surgery in the management of trigeminal neuralgia.
Acupuncture appears to be the least expensive therapeutic modality to deliver long-term in the management of trigeminal neuralgia, and our analysis indicated that it was less stressful to patients than pharmacotherapy or surgery.
Needling therapies in the management of myofascial pain of the masticatory muscles: A network meta‐analysis of randomised clinical trials
2020 Apr 22 Journal of Oral Rehabilitation Al‐Moraissi EA, Alradom J, Aladashi O, Goddard G, Christidis N
Based on this NMA, one can conclude that the effectiveness of needling therapy did not depend on needling type (dry or wet) or needling substance. The outcome of this NMA suggests that LA, BTX-A, granisetron and PRP hold some promise as injection therapies, but no definite conclusions can be drawn due to the low quality of evidence of the included studies. This NMA did not provide enough support for any of the needling therapies for TMD-M.
Meta-Analysis Masticatory Myofascial Pain
The effectiveness of acupuncture in the management of persistent regional myofascial head and neck pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis
2020 Mar Complementary Therapies in Medicine Farag AM, Malacarne A, Pagni SE, Maloney GE.
Systematic Review Meta-Analysis Neck Pain Neck, Shoulder, Arm & Wrist PainAcupuncture appears to be an effective and safe method to alleviate persistent myofascial head and neck pain.
Acupuncture for Myofascial Pain Syndrome: A Network Meta-Analysis of 33 Randomized Controlled Trials
2017 Sep 20 Pain Physician Li X, Wang R, Xing X, Shi X, Tian J, Zhang J, et al.
Meta-Analysis Chronic PainThe existing evidence suggests that most acupuncture therapies, including acupuncture combined with other therapies, are effective in decreasing pain and in improving physical function.
Research Insights
Insights are moderated by the Research Hub team and offer an at-a-glance overview of interesting research findings.
Acupuncture appears to be the least expensive therapeutic modality to deliver long-term in the management of trigeminal neuralgia, and our analysis indicated that it was less stressful to patients than pharmacotherapy or surgery.
2020 Acupuncture in Medicine Acupuncture in the management of trigeminal neuralgia Edwards, J. W., & Shaw, V.
Systematic Review
Acupuncture also had fewer mean reported side effects compared with surgery and pharmacotherapy, and the lowest cost; after 5 years, the cost of acupuncture was estimated to be £750, compared to £1507.73 for carbamazepine and £4878.42 for microvascular decompression. Acupuncture was the least stressful according to the Holmes and Rahe’s Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) (53 points), whereas surgery was second most stressful (153 points) and pharmacotherapy was the most stressful intervention to patients (217 points).
Acupuncture appears more effective than pharmacotherapy or surgery in the management of trigeminal neuralgia.
2020 Acupuncture in Medicine Acupuncture in the management of trigeminal neuralgia Edwards, J. W., & Shaw, V.
Systematic Review
Acupuncture appears more effective than pharmacotherapy or surgery. Statistical analysis of side effects was not possible due to inconsistent reporting protocols, but the data suggest that acupuncture is considerably safer than pharmacotherapy or surgery. Acupuncture also appears to be the least expensive therapeutic modality to deliver long-term (65 weeks onwards), and our analysis indicated that it was less stressful to patients than pharmacotherapy or surgery. Further study into these areas and the practicality of its availability in the UK National Health Service (NHS) and other health systems is recommended.
Acupuncture appears to be an effective and safe method to alleviate persistent myofascial head and neck pain.
2020 Complementary Therapies in Medicine The effectiveness of acupuncture in the management of persistent regional myofascial head and neck pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis Farag AM, Malacarne A, Pagni SE, Maloney GE.
Systematic Review Neck Pain Neck, Shoulder, Arm & Wrist Pain
To investigate the impact of acupuncture on persistent myofascial head and neck pain, only randomized controlled clinical trials were considered. These studies were hunted in a variety of databases, including PubMed, Ovid Medline, Embase, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Library, in addition to a manual search. The main metric used for outcome measurement was the comparison of the mean pain intensity score on the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) between the acupuncture and sham-needling/no intervention groups. Additionally, safety data and adherence rate were looked into.
The key findings from the gathered randomized controlled clinical trials showed a decrease in the Visual Analogue Scale pain intensity scores in the acupuncture group when compared with the sham-needling/no intervention group. Only four trials were included in the concluding meta-analysis, which showed a substantial difference in pain intensity between the acupuncture and sham-needling/no intervention groups. Overall, the results demonstrated promising safety levels, evidenced by low side effects/withdrawal rates. However, the studies were inconsistent in the way they reported outcomes.
The existing evidence suggests that most acupuncture therapies, including acupuncture combined with other therapies, are effective in decreasing pain and in improving physical function.
2017 Pain Physician Acupuncture for Myofascial Pain Syndrome: A Network Meta-Analysis of 33 Randomized Controlled Trials Li X, Wang R, Xing X, Shi X, Tian J, Zhang J, et al.
Meta-Analysis Chronic Pain
Thirty-three trials with 1,692 patients were included. Patients were allocated to 22 kinds of interventions, of which dry needling and manual acupuncture was the most frequently investigated intervention. Compared with placebo-sham acupuncture, scraping combined with warming acupuncture and moxibustion was found to be more effective for decreasing pain intensity; miniscalpel-needle was more effective for increasing the PPT; trigger points injection with bupivacaine was associated with the highest risk of adverse event; and only EA showed a significant difference in the ROM.
Acupuncture yielded results similar to those observed in groups treated with occlusal splints for pain in myofascial temporomandibular disorder.
2017 Journal of Oral & Facial Pain and Headache Acupuncture in Temporomandibular Disorder Myofascial Pain Treatment: A Systematic Review Ana Carla Bezerra De Carvalho Justo Fernandes, DDS, MSc/Dayanne Monielle Duarte Moura, DDS, MSc/Laura Géssica Dantas Da Silva, DDS, et al.
Systematic Review
A total of four randomized clinical trials using acupuncture (traditional, trigger point, and laser) for TMD treatment met the eligibility criteria and were included. Although the studies featured small sample sizes and short-term follow-up periods, acupuncture yielded results similar to those observed in groups treated with occlusal splints and were significantly superior than those obtained from placebo acupuncture–treated groups.
Despite the weak scientific evidence supporting its efficacy, acupuncture treatment appears to relieve the signs and symptoms of pain in myofascial TMD. More controlled and randomized clinical trials with larger sample sizes are needed in this field of research to verify these initial findings.
Review Articles
Review articles summarise and critically evaluate the current state of research on a specific topic or field by synthesising multiple primary research studies.
Acupuncture in the management of trigeminal neuralgia
2020 Jun Acupuncture in Medicine Edwards, J. W., & Shaw, V.
Systematic ReviewAcupuncture appears more effective than pharmacotherapy or surgery in the management of trigeminal neuralgia.
Acupuncture appears to be the least expensive therapeutic modality to deliver long-term in the management of trigeminal neuralgia, and our analysis indicated that it was less stressful to patients than pharmacotherapy or surgery.
Research mainly from UK, thus with safer and cost effective according to NHS guidelines. — 10 Sep 2021
The effectiveness of acupuncture in the management of persistent regional myofascial head and neck pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis
2020 Mar Complementary Therapies in Medicine Farag AM, Malacarne A, Pagni SE, Maloney GE.
Systematic Review Meta-Analysis Neck Pain Neck, Shoulder, Arm & Wrist PainAcupuncture appears to be an effective and safe method to alleviate persistent myofascial head and neck pain.
Manual Acupuncture for Myofascial Pain Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
2017 Aug Acupuncture in Medicine Wang R, Li X, Zhou S, Zhang X, Yang K, Li X
Through stimulation of MTrPs, MA might be efficacious in terms of pain relief and reduction of muscle irritability in MPS patients. Additional well-designed/reported studies are required to determine the optimal number of sessions for the treatment of MPS.
Systematic Review Meta-Analysis Myofascial painAcupuncture in Temporomandibular Disorder Myofascial Pain Treatment: A Systematic Review
2017 Jul Journal of Oral & Facial Pain and Headache Ana Carla Bezerra De Carvalho Justo Fernandes, DDS, MSc/Dayanne Monielle Duarte Moura, DDS, MSc/Laura Géssica Dantas Da Silva, DDS, et al.
Systematic ReviewAcupuncture yielded results similar to those observed in groups treated with occlusal splints for pain in myofascial temporomandibular disorder.
small sample sizes and short-term follow-up periods — 11 Sep 2021
Acupuncture therapy in the management of the clinical outcomes for temporomandibular disorders
2017 Mar Medicine Wu, Jun-Yi MD; Zhang, Chao MD; Xu, Yang-Peng MM; Yu, Ya-Yu MD; Peng, Le PhD; Leng, et al.
Systematic Review Meta-Analysis Temporomandibular Disorders Facial ConditionsAcupuncture therapy is effective in reducing the degree of pain in patients with temporomandibular disorders, especially those with myofascial pain symptoms.
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are research studies that involve people and are conducted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of new treatments or interventions, such as drugs, medical devices, or behavioural therapies.
Study Protocols
Published study protocols are detailed plans that outline the objectives, methodology, statistical analyses, and organisation of a research study that have been made publicly available for others to review and use as a reference.
Presentation Slides
Acupuncture appears to be the least expensive therapeutic modality to deliver long-term in the management of trigeminal neuralgia, and our analysis indicated that it was less stressful to patients than pharmacotherapy or surgery.
Acupuncture appears more effective than pharmacotherapy or surgery in the management of trigeminal neuralgia.
Acupuncture appears to be an effective and safe method to alleviate persistent myofascial head and neck pain.
The existing evidence suggests that most acupuncture therapies, including acupuncture combined with other therapies, are effective in decreasing pain and in improving physical function.
Acupuncture yielded results similar to those observed in groups treated with occlusal splints for pain in myofascial temporomandibular disorder.
Acupuncture therapy is effective in reducing the degree of pain in patients with temporomandibular disorders, especially those with myofascial pain symptoms.
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Research mainly from UK, thus with safer and cost effective according to NHS guidelines. — 10 Sep 2021