Research Library
281 peer-reviewed studies on trigger points and myofascial pain, ranked by relevance.
Study index
Relevance
- High 259
- Medium 21
- Low 1
Type
- Narrative Review72
- Systematic Review71
- RCT42
- Meta-analysis41
- Cross-Sectional Study22
- Cohort Study8
- Laboratory Study6
- Expert Consensus6
- Pilot Study6
- Case Series4
- Case-Control3
- Relevance: High
Effectiveness of Percutaneous Needle Electrolysis (PNE) and Intramuscular Electrical Stimulation (IMES) in the Management of Myofascial Pain Syndrome and Tendinopathies: A Systematic Review
This systematic review found that PNE and IMES may improve pain and function in myofascial pain syndrome and tendinopathies, but evidence quality was limited by high risk of bias. Both techniques appear safe with only minor, self-limiting adverse events.
Trybulski et al.Journal of Clinical MedicineDOI
- Relevance: High
Efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy for musculoskeletal pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis
A meta-analysis of 14 RCTs found that CBT-based interventions produce small-to-moderate reductions in pain intensity and the largest, most consistent reductions in pain catastrophizing for chronic musculoskeletal pain.
Liu et al.Frontiers in PsychologyDOI
- Relevance: High
Deep Versus Superficial Dry Needling for Neck Pain: A Systematic Review of Randomised Clinical Trials
This systematic review of 8 randomized trials found that both deep and superficial dry needling provide similar short-term pain relief and functional improvement in patients with neck pain and myofascial trigger points. No clinically meaningful differences were found between the two needling depths.
Alhakami et al.MedicinaDOI
- Relevance: High
Dry Needling in Sports and Sport Recovery: A Systematic Review with an Evidence Gap Map
This systematic review of 24 studies found dry needling effectively reduces pain in injured athletes but shows mixed results for performance enhancement in healthy athletes. Significant research gaps exist for elite athletes and long-term effects.
Kużdżał et al.Sports MedicineDOI
- Relevance: High
Effectiveness of Pain Neuroscience Education in Reducing Pain, Disability, Kinesiophobia, and Catastrophizing in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
A meta-analysis of 15 RCTs (810 patients) found that pain neuroscience education, usually added to exercise or physiotherapy, may reduce pain, disability, kinesiophobia, and catastrophizing in chronic low back pain, though the authors urge caution given small trials and heterogeneity.
Medina-Viedma et al.Medical Sciences (Basel)DOI
- Relevance: High
Efficacy of Acupuncture in Treating Nape Back Myofascial Pain Syndrome: a Comprehensive Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Meta-analysis of 10 RCTs found acupuncture significantly improved clinical effectiveness, neck function, and range of motion in nape back myofascial pain syndrome compared to controls. Acupuncture showed particular advantages over non-drug therapies and demonstrated superior safety profile with mini
Zhang et al.Journal of Pain ResearchDOI
- Relevance: High
Myofascial Pain Syndrome: An Update on Clinical Characteristics, Etiopathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Treatment
This comprehensive narrative review synthesizes current evidence on myofascial pain syndrome, finding sufficient support only for local anesthetic injections while highlighting that many common treatments lack adequate evidence.
Steen et al.Muscle & NerveDOI
- Relevance: High
Pain science education and exercise interventions for people with knee or hip osteoarthritis: a systematic review, content and meta-analysis
A systematic review and component network meta-analysis finding that pain science education had little-to-no effect on pain or function in knee/hip osteoarthritis but improved catastrophizing, kinesiophobia, and self-efficacy, especially when paired with exercise.
Hurley-Wallace et al.BMC Musculoskeletal DisordersDOI
- Relevance: High
Pharmacologic treatment of fibromyalgia: an update
A 2025 narrative review concluding that current fibromyalgia drugs help only a minority of patients and should be used as part of an individualized, multimodal plan alongside exercise, education, and psychological support.
Li et al.Frontiers in PharmacologyDOI
- Relevance: High
The State of Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy for Myofascial Pain Syndrome—A Scoping Review and a Call for Standardized Protocols
This scoping review identifies significant methodological inconsistencies in ESWT research for myofascial pain syndrome. Despite evidence suggesting effectiveness, poor study standardization prevents definitive conclusions about therapeutic potential.
Müller-Ehrenberg et al.LifeDOI
- Relevance: High
Treatments for enhancing sleep quality in fibromyalgia: a systematic review and meta-analysis
A meta-analysis of randomized trials in fibromyalgia found that CBT for insomnia moderately improved sleep quality, while most common drugs showed little to no benefit and pregabalin and sodium oxybate helped modestly but carried risks.
Pathak et al.Rheumatology (Oxford)DOI
- Relevance: High
Comparative effectiveness of noninvasive therapeutic interventions for myofascial pain syndrome: a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Network meta-analysis of 40 RCTs found manual therapy, laser therapy, and extracorporeal shock wave therapy most effective for reducing pain and disability in myofascial pain syndrome. These three treatments showed benefits across pain intensity, pressure pain threshold, and functional outcomes comp
Liu et al.International Journal of SurgeryDOI
- Relevance: High
Myofascial pain – A major player in musculoskeletal pain
Comprehensive review of myofascial pain syndrome, affecting 20-95% of musculoskeletal pain patients. Emphasizes multimodal treatment approaches and need for early recognition.
Lam et al.Best Practice & Research Clinical RheumatologyDOI
- Relevance: High
Pharmacological Treatment of Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Practice-Based Review
A practice-based narrative review of the drugs used to treat fibromyalgia, concluding that current pharmacological options offer limited benefit and are best applied within a personalized, multidisciplinary approach.
Giorgi et al.Current Pain and Headache ReportsDOI
- Relevance: High
Relationship Between Sleep Disturbances and Chronic Pain: A Narrative Review
A narrative review concluding that sleep disturbances and chronic pain share a bidirectional relationship, with current evidence suggesting that poor sleep predicts pain more strongly than pain predicts poor sleep.
Jain et al.Clinics and Practice (Clin Pract)DOI
- Relevance: High
Clinical Effectiveness of Dry Needling in Patients with Musculoskeletal Pain—An Umbrella Review
This umbrella review of 36 systematic reviews found strong evidence that dry needling provides superior short-term pain reduction compared to sham treatments across all body regions. DN is equally effective to other treatments and may provide additional benefit when combined with conventional physio
Chys et al.Journal of Clinical MedicineDOI
- Relevance: High
Effect of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation on Pain-related Quantitative Sensory Tests in Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain and Acute Experimental Pain: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
This systematic review of 58 studies found that TENS reduces both central and peripheral sensitization in chronic musculoskeletal pain. High-frequency TENS applied at sensory intensity for >30 minutes showed the strongest evidence for normalizing pain processing mechanisms.
DeJesus et al.The Journal of PainDOI
- Relevance: High
Effectiveness of Pain Neuroscience Education in Patients with Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain and Central Sensitization: A Systematic Review
A systematic review of 15 RCTs found that pain neuroscience education may improve pain, disability, and psychosocial factors in chronic musculoskeletal pain with central sensitization, particularly when combined with exercise or manual therapy and delivered one-to-one.
Lepri et al.International Journal of Environmental Research and Public HealthDOI
- Relevance: High
Pain neuroscience education in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain: an umbrella review
An umbrella review of 16 systematic reviews finding that pain neuroscience education added to exercise or multimodal care may improve chronic musculoskeletal pain outcomes—especially psychosocial ones—but PNE alone showed no consistent benefit, and all included reviews were critically low quality.
Cuenca-Martínez et al.Frontiers in NeuroscienceDOI
- Relevance: High
Summarizing the effects of different exercise types in chronic neck pain – a systematic review and meta-analysis of systematic reviews
An umbrella review of 25 systematic reviews found low-to-high certainty evidence that several exercise types ease chronic neck pain short-term versus non-exercise controls, with no clear winner among them.
Rasmussen-Barr et al.BMC Musculoskeletal DisordersDOI
- Relevance: High
The effect and mechanism of motor control exercise on low back pain: a narrative review
A narrative review concluding that motor control exercise may reduce pain and disability in low back pain, with proposed mechanisms spanning brain remapping, exercise-induced hypoalgesia, anti-inflammatory effects, and restored neuromuscular control.
Xu et al.EFORT Open ReviewsDOI
- Relevance: High
Trigger Point Injections Versus Medical Management for Acute Myofascial Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
A meta-analysis of four RCTs found that trigger point injections significantly reduced acute myofascial pain compared with medical management alone (SMD -2.09; 95% CI -3.34 to -0.85; P = 0.001), though the authors flag notable heterogeneity and bias concerns.
Hamzoian & ZograbyanCureusDOI
- Relevance: High
Chronic primary musculoskeletal pain: a new concept of nonstructural regional pain
This perspective article introduces chronic primary musculoskeletal pain as a new classification for regional pain without tissue damage, proposing it represents 'regional fibromyalgia' with central sensitization mechanisms. The authors argue this paradigm shift requires moving from anatomically-foc
Fitzcharles et al.PAIN ReportsDOI
- Relevance: High
Effectiveness of Photobiomodulation Therapy in the Treatment of Myofascial Pain Syndrome of the Upper Trapezius Muscle: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
This systematic review of 17 studies with 944 patients found that photobiomodulation therapy effectively reduces pain in myofascial trigger points of the upper trapezius muscle. When combined with exercise, the therapy showed large effect sizes for both pain reduction and improved pressure pain thre
Alayat et al.Photobiomodulation, Photomedicine, and Laser SurgeryDOI
- Relevance: High
Efficacy of extracorporeal shock waves in the treatment of myofascial pain syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled clinical studies
This meta-analysis of 571 patients found that extracorporeal shock wave therapy significantly reduced pain and improved function compared to other treatments for myofascial pain syndrome. ESWT offers a non-invasive alternative to injection-based therapies with superior outcomes.
Wu et al.Annals of Translational MedicineDOI
- Relevance: High
On the superiority of a combination of aerobic and resistance exercise for fibromyalgia syndrome: A network meta-analysis
A network meta-analysis of 45 RCTs found that combined aerobic-plus-resistance exercise ranked first for improving quality of life, pain, and physical function in fibromyalgia syndrome.
Chen et al.Frontiers in PsychologyDOI
- Relevance: High
The Path to Discovery of Windup and Central Sensitization
This historical review traces the discovery of windup and central sensitization, two fundamental spinal cord mechanisms that can amplify pain signals. These discoveries revolutionized understanding of how chronic pain develops and why some people experience persistent pain after injury.
MendellFrontiers in Pain ResearchDOI
- Relevance: High
The effectiveness of non-pharmacological sleep interventions for people with chronic pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis
In 42 randomised trials of people with chronic pain, cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia improved sleep quality post-treatment, though long-term and pain benefits were limited.
Whale et al.BMC Musculoskeletal DisordersDOI
- Relevance: High
Does TENS Reduce the Intensity of Acute and Chronic Pain? A Comprehensive Appraisal of the Characteristics and Outcomes of 169 Reviews and 49 Meta-Analyses
This comprehensive review of 169 systematic reviews found that uncertainty about TENS effectiveness stems from inadequately powered studies rather than lack of benefit. The few high-quality meta-analyses consistently demonstrate TENS benefits for pain relief.
Paley et al.MedicinaDOI
- Relevance: High
Pain Neuroscience Education Combined with Therapeutic Exercises Provides Added Benefit in the Treatment of Chronic Neck Pain
In a six-week RCT of 72 people with chronic nonspecific neck pain, adding pain neuroscience education to therapeutic exercises improved pain-disability, catastrophizing, and fear-avoidance beliefs more than exercise alone.
Javdaneh et al.International Journal of Environmental Research and Public HealthDOI