Prevalence of myofascial dysfunction in patients with low back pain
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5935/0104-7795.20140016Keywords:
Myofascial Pain Syndromes, Low Back Pain, PrevalenceAbstract
Objective: This study aimed to examine the prevalence of myofascial dysfunction in patients with low back pain, which is the area most frequently afflicted, and to quantify the pain threshold for these evaluations using an algometer. Method: We evaluated 70 patients with a history of chronic low back pain in search of trigger points that would elicit the patient’s pain. The muscles tested were the quadratus lumborum, iliopsoas, gluteus maximus, medius, minimus, and piriformis. The prevalence of myofascial dysfunction was determined by the percentage of patients with trigger points. The pain threshold was determined by the average of three assessments of pressure for each trigger point. Results: The results showed that 90% of patients had myofascial dysfunction, 76% of whom had trigger points in the quadratus lumborum, 69% in the gluteus medius, 56% in the piriformis, 40% in the gluteus minimus, 31% in the iliopsoas, and 29% in the gluteus maximus. The pressure pain threshold of the quadratus lumborum was 1.71 kg/cm2, 2.39 kg/cm2 for the gluteus medius, 2.34 kg/cm2 for the piriformis, 2.58 kg/cm2 for the gluteus minimus, 2.11 kg/cm2 for the iliopsoas and 2.19 kg/cm2 for the gluteus maximus. Conclusion: Our data demonstrate the high prevalence of this disorder and suggest that it deserves specific attention in the treatment of low back pain in patients with chronic pain.
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