Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34579747›Full record

SynthesisChiropractic & manual therapies2021

The efficacy of intramuscular electrical stimulation in the management of patients with myofascial pain syndrome: a systematic review.

Monavar Hadizadeh, Abbas Rahimi, Mohammad Javaherian, Meysam Velayati, Jan Dommerholt

Open access · goldAbstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Chiropractic & manual therapies, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.2field-weighted citation impact, top 51% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Monavar HadizadehDepartment of Physiotherapy, School of Rehabilitation, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, # Damavand Ave, Zip code:16169-13111, Tehran, Iran.
Abbas RahimiDepartment of Physiotherapy, School of Rehabilitation, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, # Damavand Ave, Zip code:16169-13111, Tehran, Iran. a_rahimi@sbmu.ac.ir.ORCID 0000-0002-9561-2186
Mohammad JavaherianDepartment of Physiotherapy, School of Rehabilitation, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Meysam VelayatiMusculoskeletal RadiologistDepartment of Radiology, Akhtar Orthopedic Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Jan DommerholtBethesda Physiocare, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences · IRTehran University of Medical Sciences · IRUniversity of Maryland, Baltimore · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionMyofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is one of the most common disorders causing chronic muscle pain. Almost one-third of patients with musculoskeletal complaints meet the MPS criteria. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of intramuscular electrical stimulation (IMES) in patients with MPS through a systematic review method.

methodsPubMed, Scopus, Embase, ProQuest, PEDro, Web of Science, and CINAHL were systematically searched to find out the eligible articles without language limitations from 1990 to December 30, 2020. All relevant randomized controlled trials that compared the effectiveness of IMES with sham-IMES, dry needling, or exercise therapy in patients with MPS were included. Full texts of the selected studies were critically appraised using Revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials (RoB2).

resultsSix studies (out of 397) had met our inclusion criteria (involving 158 patients) and were entered to the systematic review. Outcome measures examined in these studies included pain, range of motion, pressure pain threshold, biochemical factors, disability, and amount of analgesic use. In the most studies, it has been shown that IMES is more effective than the control group in improving some outcome measurements such as pain.

conclusionThere is preliminary evidence from a few small trials suggesting the efficacy of IMES for the care of myofascial pain syndrome. The data support the conduct of larger trials investigating the efficacy of IMES.

Indexed as

Dry NeedlingMyofascial Pain SyndromesElectric StimulationHumansPainRange of Motion, ArticularDry needlingIntramuscular electrical stimulationMyofascial pain syndromeTrigger point

Identifiers

PMID34579747
PMCPMC8477566
OpenAlexW3203330283

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.