Trial reportRheumatology international2018
Comparative study of shockwave therapy and low-level laser therapy effects in patients with myofascial pain syndrome of the trapezius.
Trial report in Rheumatology international, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 3 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 22 papers, 5 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.
Comparative Study of Shock Wave Therapy and Low Level Laser Therapy Effect in Patients With Myofascial Pain Syndrome of the Trapezius
Effectiveness of Radial Shock-wave Therapy Combined With Self-stretching Exercises in Patients With Myofascial Pain Syndrome
The Effectiveness of Radial Shockwave Therapy on Myofascial Pain Syndrome: A Mixed Method Study That Combines a Randomised Control Trial and Semi-Structured Interview.
Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 58 citations in OpenAlex.
- Comparative effectiveness of six biophysical agents on neck pain rehabilitation: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2025Pooled it
- Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy versus laser therapy in treating musculoskeletal disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Lasers in medical science · 2025Pooled it
- The effect of therapeutic physical modalities on pain, function, and quality of life in patients with myofascial pain syndrome: a systematic review.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2023Pooled it
- Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy for Mid-portion and Insertional Achilles Tendinopathy: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.Sports medicine - open · 2022Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Effect of single-dose diode laser photobiomodulation on orthodontic pain following initial archwire placement: a randomized clinical trial.BMC oral health · 2025Trial
- The effectiveness of radial shockwave therapy on myofascial pain syndrome: a two-armed, randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2025Trial
- Instrumented assisted soft tissue mobilizationWorld journal of orthopedics · 2023Trial
- Comparison of the effectiveness of instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization and extracorporeal shock wave therapy in myofascial pain syndrome.Turkish journal of medical sciences · 2023Trial
- Effects of Repeated Injection of 1% Lidocaine vs. Radial Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy for Treating Myofascial Trigger Points: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2022Trial
- Comparison of the short-term effectiveness of myofascial dextrose injection and radial extracorporeal shockwave therapy in myofascial pain syndrome: A prospective, randomized clinical study.Turkish journal of physical medicine and rehabilitation · 2026Article
- The State of Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy for Myofascial Pain Syndrome-A Scoping Review and a Call for Standardized Protocols.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Comparison of extracorporeal shock wave therapy and manual therapy on active trigger points of the sternocleidomastoid muscle in cervicogenic headache: A randomized controlled trial.Turkish journal of physical medicine and rehabilitation · 2025Article
- A Novel Therapeutic Approach Targeting Spinal Accessory and Dorsal Scapular Nerves for the Relief of Posterior Neck, Trapezius, and Interscapular Pain.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Photobiomodulation on shoulder and neck pain and disability: A comprehensive review.Lasers in medical science · 2024Review
- Article
- Efficacy and Effectiveness of Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy in Patients with Myofascial Pain or Fibromyalgia: A Scoping Review.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2022Article
- Nonoperative treatment for pain sensitization in patients with low back pain: protocol for a systematic review.Systematic reviews · 2022Article
- Efficacy of extracorporeal shock waves in the treatment of myofascial pain syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled clinical studies.Annals of translational medicine · 2022Article
- Preliminary evidence of safety and effectiveness of Loxoprofen Sodium Cataplasm combined with physiotherapy for myofascial pain syndrome treatment: A randomized controlled pilot clinical trial.Frontiers in neurology · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The objective of the study was to compare the effects of shockwave therapy and laser therapy on pain, neck functionality, and quality of life in patients with myofascial pain syndrome of the trapezius. 61 patients (> 18 years) were randomly allocated to two treatment groups: (1) 31 patients received soft laser therapy once daily in a 3-week period for a total of 15 sessions, (2) 30 patients received shockwave therapy once in a week for 3 weeks, totalling 3 treatments. Resting pain and pain tolerance were assessed by a 100 mm visual analogue scale; functional status and quality of life were measured by specific questionnaires (Neck Disability Index, SF-36) before and after the 3-week therapy and at the 15th week follow-up visit. All measured parameters improved significantly in both groups at week 3 and week 15. Comparing the two groups, patients receiving shockwave therapy demonstrated significantly better changes in pain tolerance (mean between-group differences at visit 1-0 = 14.911, 95% CI = 2.641-27.182, mean between-group differences at visit 2-0 = 17.190, 95% CI = 4.326-30.055 in the left trapezius), neck functionality (mean between-group differences at visit 1- 0 = 0.660, 95% CI = - 1.933 to 3.253, mean between-group differences at visit 2-0 = 1.072, 95% CI = - 2.110 to 4.254), and in all domains using SF-36 QoL questionnaire. The only parameter in which the laser group showed significantly higher benefits was at week 15 for resting pain (mean between-group differences at visit 2-0 = - 1.345, 95% CI = - 14.600 to 11.910). The results of our study point to a conclusion that both laser and shockwave therapy are effective in myofascial pain syndrome, though we found shockwave therapy to be somewhat more beneficial. Clinical trial registration number NCT03436459 ( https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03436459 ).
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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.