Reliability of quantitative sensory testing on myofascial trigger points in the upper trapezius muscle of individuals with chronic neck pain

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to measure the intra- and inter-rater reliability of the quantitative sensory testing for measuring the thermal pain threshold on myofascial trigger points in the upper trapezius muscle of individuals with chronic neck pain. METHODS: Thirty female participants were included, aged between 18 and 45 years and with bilateral myofascial trigger points, active and centrally located in the upper trapezius muscle. Two measurements with quantitative sensory testing were performed by each examiner at an interval of 1 week between them. RESULTS: We observed substantial reliability for the intra-rater analysis (intraclass correlation coefficient ranging between 0.876 and 0.896) and excellent reliability for the inter-rater analysis (intraclass correlation coefficient ranging between 0.917 and 0.954). CONCLUSION: The measurement of the thermal pain threshold on myofascial trigger points in individuals with chronic neck pain has acceptable reliability values, supporting the use of the quantitative sensory testing in the research setting and the clinical environment.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Dibai Filho,Almir Vieira, Oliveira,Alessandra Kelly de, Oliveira,Matheus Pereira, Barros,Marília Artese, Bevilaqua-Grossi,Débora, Guirro,Rinaldo Roberto de Jesus
Format: Digital revista
Language:English
Published: Associação Médica Brasileira 2022
Online Access:http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0104-42302022000100056
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!