Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39893364›Full record

Trial reportBMC musculoskeletal disorders2025

Myofascial trigger points therapy increases neck mobility and reduces headache pain in migraine patients - pilot study.

Maciej Olesiejuk, Małgorzata Chalimoniuk, Tomasz Sacewicz

Registry-linked trialAbstract readClinical Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05646160 (Effects of Myofascial Trigger Points Therapy in Migraine.), which is not on this map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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.

NCT05646160 naunknown statusnot on this map

Effects of Myofascial Trigger Points Therapy in Migraine.

TypeinterventionalSponsorJózef Piłsudski University of Physical EducationRan2018 to 2023Enrolled100ConditionsMigraine, Pain, Shoulder, Trapezius Muscle Strain Left, Trapezius Muscle Strain RightArmsIschemic Compression of Myofascial Trigger Points (IC-MTRPs)
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. 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

3 authors.

Maciej OlesiejukDepartment of Physical Education and Health in Biala Podlaska, Jozef Pilsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw, Faculty in Biala Podlaska, 2 Akademicka st., 21-500 Biala, Podlaska, Poland. maciej.olesiejuk@awf.edu.pl.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3211-1840
Małgorzata ChalimoniukDepartment of Physical Education and Health in Biala Podlaska, Jozef Pilsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw, Faculty in Biala Podlaska, 2 Akademicka st., 21-500 Biala, Podlaska, Poland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0361-8626
Tomasz SacewiczDepartment of Physical Education and Health in Biala Podlaska, Jozef Pilsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw, Faculty in Biala Podlaska, 2 Akademicka st., 21-500 Biala, Podlaska, Poland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4417-9220

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThis study aimed to evaluate the effects of Ischemic Compression Myofascial Trigger Points (IC-MTrPs) therapy, applied mainly to the upper trapezius muscle (UTM), on: [1] cervical spine range of motion (CS-ROM), and [2] headache characteristics in migraine patients. Reduced CS-ROM can further contribute to musculoskeletal strain and neurological discomfort in migraine sufferers. The application of IC-MTrPs therapy is of particular interest because it targets these trigger points, potentially normalizing muscle tone and improving local blood flow, which may alleviate pain and restore mobility.

designA case series employing a repeated-measures design; pilot study.

methodsFifty-three adult female migraine patients were classified into three groups: episodic migraine without aura (MO, n = 31), episodic migraine with aura (MA, n = 15), and chronic migraine (CM, n = 7). Patients underwent seven sessions of IC-MTrPs therapy targeting the shoulder and neck muscles. Assessments were conducted across five sessions: pre-therapy (baseline), post-1st therapy, post-4th therapy, post-7th therapy, and at a 1-month follow-up. Outcome measures included: CS-ROM (assessed using an accelerometer system), subjective headache pain intensity (evaluated via the Visual Analog Scale (VAS)), and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) concentrations.

resultsCS-ROM for horizontal rotation and forward flexion improved significantly at the 1-month follow-up compared to pre-therapy (baseline) (P < 0.05). Headache intensity during a migraine attacks, as well as headache frequency and duration, significantly decreased at post-7th therapy compared to baseline across all patients (P < 0.05). The highest CGRP concentrations were recorded in CM patients (240.73 ± 79.51 ng/ml). While no significant changes in CGRP levels were observed in patients with MO, CGRP concentration in patients with MA increased significantly at the 1-month follow-up compared to baseline, rising from 151.70 ± 50.85 ng/ml to 176.17 ± 77.21 ng/ml. In patients with CM, the therapy did not result in statistically significant changes in CGRP levels, although reductions in headache frequency and intensity were noted.

conclusionsIC-MTrPs therapy proved effective in increasing CS-ROM and alleviating headache characteristics in all migraine subtypes. However, no significant changes in CGRP levels were observed. Distinct characteristics and responses among different migraine subtypes highlight the need for tailored therapeutic approaches.

trial registrationThe study protocol was retrospectively registered on December 2, 2022, as a clinical trial in the international clinical trial database ClinicalTrials.gov (identifier: NCT05646160). CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: not applicable.

Indexed as

Migraine DisordersMyofascial Pain SyndromesNeck MusclesRange of Motion, ArticularTrigger PointsAdultCalcitonin Gene-Related PeptideFemaleHumansMiddle AgedPain MeasurementPilot ProjectsTreatment OutcomeYoung AdultCalcitonin Gene-Related PeptideCalcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)Cervical spine range of motion (CS-ROM)HeadacheIschemic compression (IC)MigraineMyofascial trigger points (MTrPs)PainUpper trapezius muscle (UTM)

Identifiers

PMID39893364
PMCPMC11786463

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

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.