SynthesisBMC musculoskeletal disorders2024
Efficacy and safety of low-intensity ultrasound therapy for myofascial pain syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- Efficacy of ultrasound-guided myofascial hydrodissection technique in myofascial pain syndrome of upper trapezius: a randomized controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Immediate efficacy of low-intensity focused ultrasound versus planar ultrasound in patients with myofascial pain syndrome of upper trapezius: a randomized controlled clinical trial.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2025Trial
- Ultrasound-guided platelet-rich plasma myofascial injection for chronic low back pain: a retrospective study.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2026Article
- A precise theranostic nanoplatform amplifies anti-tumor efficacy via copper ionophores and sonodynamic therapy.Materials today. Bio · 2026Article
- Article
- Experimental Validation of Time-Explicit Ultrasound Propagation Models with Sound Diffusivity or Viscous Attenuation in Biological Tissues Using COMSOL Multiphysics.Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
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4 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundMyofascial Pain Syndrome (MPS) is a common pain disorder characterized by the presence of trigger points within the muscles or fascia. Low-intensity ultrasound therapy, as a noninvasive modality, has indeed found application in the management of MPS, but its efficacy for myofascial pain syndrome has still been controversial. The objective of this systematic review was to assess the safety and efficacy of low-intensity ultrasound therapy for MPS.
methodsWe searched PubMed, Embase, PEDro, Web of Science, and CENTRAL for RCTs on ultrasound therapy in MPS patients. We included RCTs comparing ultrasound with other therapies or placebo-sham ultrasound. Clinical outcomes included pain scores and physical functional performance. Risk of bias and heterogeneity were assessed. Two authors of the review independently evaluated the risk of bias of each trial and extracted the data.
resultsThis systematic review included sixteen RCTs involving a total of 1063 participants with MPS. None of the included studies reported adverse events. Comparing with sham or no treatment, the application of low-intensity ultrasound yielded additional benefits for pain (SMD [CI] = - 1.04 [- 1.72, - 0.36], P < 0.0003), with high heterogeneity (χ
conclusionsThe current study indicates that low-intensity ultrasound effectively reduces pain intensity in MPS patients. The heterogeneity regarding the parameters of ultrasound, including frequency, intensity, time was found to be high among the included studies. Each therapeutic modality works differently in various situations and may lead to multitudinous effects. The positive impact of low-intensity ultrasound on functional improvement needs to be further analyzed through more high-quality clinical trials with large sample sizes in the future.
trial registrationThis study was registered on the following website: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/ . The PROSPERO registered ID is CRD42023472032.
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