Comparison of the Efficacy of Laser and Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy in Patients with Myofascial Pain Syndrome

Objective: This study aims to compare the effectiveness of laser and extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) in patients with myofascial pain syndrome (MPS).

Methods: Forty patients included in this prospective randomized study were divided into 2 groups. Stretching and posture exercises and 15 sessions of laser therapy were applied to the first group. Stretching/posture exercises and 3 sessions of ESWT were applied to the second group. The patients were evaluated before (BT), after (AT), and in the first month (T1) of treatment. Demographic data, the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), the pressure pain threshold (PPT), the Short Form-36 (SF-36), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were recorded.

Results: A total of 40 patients, 20 in the laser group and 20 in the ESWT group, were included in this study. The patients’ mean age was 35.3 ± 11.2. There was no statistically significant difference found between the groups in demographic data (P > .05). Both groups showed a statistically significant decrease in VAS scores. There is improvement in T1 in both groups in the evalua tions in the PPT. The BDI and SF-36 physical component values of the patients showed improvement in both groups in BT-T1, but no statistical difference was found in the SF-36 mental tab in BT-AT. No statistical difference was found between the groups in all values.

Conclusion: This study showed that laser and ESWT treatments provided significant improvement in MPS. However, the efficacy of these 2 treatments combined with exercise in MPS is similar, and no superiority has been found.

Cite this article as: Özyiğit E, Erdal A. Comparison of the efficacy of laser and extracorporeal shockwave therapy in patients with myofascial pain syndrome. Arch Basic Clin Res. 2024;6(2):107-113.