ArticleJournal of pain research2026
A Time-Efficient and Reproducible Rat Model of Myofascial Pain Syndrome-Like Phenotypes Induced by Repeated Mechanical Impact and Eccentric Exercise.
Article in Journal of pain research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Existing animal models of myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) target different pathological mechanisms and often rely on invasive or intensive interventions to induce inflammatory or neurophysiological responses. However, models specifically addressing peripheral myofascial structural remodeling, particularly fibrosis-associated phenotypes, are still limited. Therefore, a simplified and reproducible model focusing on myofascial remodeling-related dysfunction is needed. Methods: Fifty adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to control, sham, one-, two-, or three-session groups (n = 10/group). Intervention groups received combined mechanical impact (right gastrocnemius, 2.5 g, 12 m/s) followed by downhill treadmill running (-16°, 16 m/min, 60 min) every five days, for one, two, or three cycles. Behavioral and functional outcomes, including muscle nodule incidence, mechanical pain threshold, ankle mobility, and balance beam performance, were assessed weekly for four weeks. Ultrasonography, muscle stiffness, and histology evaluated structural changes. Results: Control and sham groups showed no alterations. All intervention groups developed transient nodules and reduced pain thresholds at week 1. One-session rats recovered by week 4, two-session rats partially recovered, while three-session rats exhibited persistent nodules, mechanical hyperalgesia, increased stiffness, and long-term functional impairment. Ultrasonography and histology in the three-session group revealed localized structural abnormalities, fiber disorganization, and collagen deposition. Conclusion: Three sessions of mechanical impact combined with eccentric exercise at five-day intervals produced a reproducible rat model of repetitive muscle injury-induced MPS-like features. The model consistently induced peripheral myofascial structural remodeling, mechanical hyperalgesia, increased muscle stiffness, and functional deficits for at least four weeks. This time-efficient protocol may provide a useful platform for mechanistic studies and preclinical evaluation of therapies targeting peripheral fibrotic and mechanical mechanisms associated with myofascial pain. However, it primarily reproduces peripheral myofascial alterations rather than the full clinical and pathophysiological spectrum of MPS.
Indexed as
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.