A New Muscle Pain Detection Device to Diagnose Muscles as a Source of Back and/or Neck Pain
From: Pain Med. 2009 Dec 16. [Epub ahead of print]
Trigger point identification has become the mainstay of diagnosis for the treatment of Myofascial Pain Syndrome; however, manual pressure to identify trigger points by determining low pressure pain threshold has low interrater reliability and may lack validity since it is done on inactive muscles. To elicit contractions and mimic an active muscle or movement that “causes” pain, a Muscle Pain Detection Device has been developed. A selected muscle is stimulated and painful muscles are precisely detected, allowing distinctions between primary and referred muscle pain as well as distinguishing other functional muscle pain thought to cause Myofacial Pain Syndrome. An IRB approved randomized controlled study is presented of manual pressure (20 patients) control vs Muscle Pain Detection Device (20 patients) to identify which muscle(s) was the source of pain in subjects presenting to the NYU Pain Management Center with a minimum 3 months history of back pain. Patients were unaware of their diagnostic method. Subjects were injected in 1-3 sites identified via manual pressure or Muscle Pain Detection Device by a separate, blinded physician. Prior to, and following treatment at one week and one month, the patients were administered Oswestry and visual analog scale pain questionnaires by a blinded evaluator, and their range of motion was measured by a blinded physical therapist. Results. The Muscle Pain Detection Device group reported significantly larger improvements in pain, mood and Oswestry scores compared with the control. Moreover, the Muscle Pain Detection Device group reported 82.5% pain relief at 1 month, compared with 53.2% in the control. The range of motion measurements failed to reveal any significant difference between the groups. Using the Muscle Pain Detection Device appears to be more valid and potentially more reliable than palpation to identify muscles causing regional pain that could benefit from injections.
Muscle Pain Detection Device
Optional methods for treating trigger points include self treatment usually done by manual pressure using a device like the back massager or the cane massager, often recommended for areas of neck muscle strain.
Here are some interviews and videos featuring Dr. Marcus, the inventor
Here of some videos featuring Dr. Marcus, the inventor. Norman J. Marcus, M.D. (view C.V.) is a pioneering author, consultant and researcher who has established national pain medicine models for over two decades. He has developed a proven diagnostic approach that can find the cause of your pain, leading to successful treatment. There is also an interview with Dr. Marcus “Muscles, Back Pain and Exercise” from The National Pain Foundation.
