ArticleInternational scholarly research notices2014
Mechanisms of Myofascial Pain.
Article in International scholarly research notices, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04765891 (Positional Release Therapy and Therapeutic Massage Reduce Muscle Trigger and Tender Points), which is not on this map. Cited by 78 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Positional Release Therapy and Therapeutic Massage Reduce Muscle Trigger and Tender Points
Who cites it
78 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The stress-fascia-pain axis in myofascial pain syndrome: a mechanistic integrative review and conceptual synthesis.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2026Pooled it
- The efficacy of botulinum toxin a injections in pelvic floor muscles in chronic pelvic pain patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.International urogynecology journal · 2022Pooled it
- Effect of ischemic compression on myofascial pain syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Chiropractic & manual therapies · 2022Pooled it
- Assessment of Myofascial Trigger Points via Imaging: A Systematic Review.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation · 2021Pooled it
- Trial
- The Efficacy of Botulinum Toxin A Injection in Pelvic Floor Muscles in Chronic Pelvic Pain Patients: A Double-Blinded Randomised Controlled Trial.BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology · 2025Trial
- Comparative Efficacy of Platelet-Rich Plasma and Dry Needling for Management of Trigger Points in Masseter Muscle in Myofascial Pain Syndrome Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of oral & facial pain and headache · 2022Trial
- Modified-Active Release Therapy in Patients with Scapulocostal Syndrome and Masticatory Myofascial Pain: A Stratified-Randomized Controlled Trial.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Trial
- Immediate Effects of Dry Needling on the Autonomic Nervous System and Mechanical Hyperalgesia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Trial
- Dry needling versus trigger point compression of the upper trapezius: a randomized clinical trial with two-week and three-month follow-up.The Journal of manual & manipulative therapy · 2019Trial
- A machine learning approach to predict treatment response in myofascial pain patients receiving masseter trigger point injections.BMC oral health · 2026Article
- Effects of dry needling compared to magnesium infiltration in trigger points for patients with myofascial pain syndrome: a randomized controlled study in Tunisia.Korean journal of family medicine · 2026Article
- The protective model of myofascial trigger points: a testable systems-level framework based on strain-repair mismatch.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Article
- Reframing myofascial pain syndrome: pathological disorder or adaptive protective response?Therapeutic advances in musculoskeletal disease · 2026Review
- A Network Meta-Analysis Comparing the Efficacy Differences of Different Acupuncture and Sodium Hyaluronate Eye Drops in the Treatment of Dry Eye Disease.Journal of pain research · 2026Review
- Characterizing insomnia and sleep quality in a cohort with tension type headache.Open medicine (Warsaw, Poland) · 2026Article
- Article
- Inhibition of the AMPK/PGC-1α/Mfn2 Axis is Associated with Mitochondria-ER Dysfunction and Ultrastructural Remodeling in a Rat Model of Myofascial Trigger Points.Journal of pain research · 2026Article
- Anatomical Investigation of the Gluteus Medius Muscle Innervation and Its Topographical Correspondence With Myofascial Trigger Points.BioMed research international · 2026Article
- Cooled Radiofrequency at Five Revised Targets for Short-Term Pain and Physical Performance Improvement in Elderly Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Prospective Four-Case Reports.Geriatrics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
18 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
Abstract
Myofascial pain syndrome is an important health problem. It affects a majority of the general population, impairs mobility, causes pain, and reduces the overall sense of well-being. Underlying this syndrome is the existence of painful taut bands of muscle that contain discrete, hypersensitive foci called myofascial trigger points. In spite of the significant impact on public health, a clear mechanistic understanding of the disorder does not exist. This is likely due to the complex nature of the disorder which involves the integration of cellular signaling, excitation-contraction coupling, neuromuscular inputs, local circulation, and energy metabolism. The difficulties are further exacerbated by the lack of an animal model for myofascial pain to test mechanistic hypothesis. In this review, current theories for myofascial pain are presented and their relative strengths and weaknesses are discussed. Based on new findings linking mechanoactivation of reactive oxygen species signaling to destabilized calcium signaling, we put forth a novel mechanistic hypothesis for the initiation and maintenance of myofascial trigger points. It is hoped that this lays a new foundation for understanding myofascial pain syndrome and how current therapies work, and gives key insights that will lead to the improvement of therapies for its treatment.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.