Thesis (M.Tech.: Chiropractic) - Dept. of Chiropractic, Durban Institute of Technology, 2003 1 v. (various pagings) / Headaches are one of the most common clinical problems in medicine (Edwards et al. 1995). It is estimated that one in three people suffer from headaches at some stage in their life (Kim et al. 1995). It is an extremely common complaint in the industrialized world (Nilsson, 1997) and has a significant impact on employee absenteeism, productivity and quality of life (Schwartz et al. 1997). In the United States more than 15 000 tons of Aspirin is consumed annually for the relief of headaches, and the cost of evaluation and treatment of headache patients consumes millions of dollars a year (Bernat and Vincent, 1993). Tension - type headache is the commonest form of headaches (Edwards et al. 1995). It is a highly prevalent condition experienced annually by 30 - 70% of the population, and as a chief complaint, it constitutes 5 - 8% of Chiropractic patients (Vernon and McDermaid, 1998). It is divided into an Episodic and Chronic form (IHS, 1991:29), with Episodic Tension-type headache being far more prevalent than Chronic Tension-type headache (Schwartz et al. 1998). Episodic Tension-type headache is further subdivided according to the presence or absence of a muscular factor. According to the International Headache Society (1991:29) for decades a dispute has prevailed concerning the importance of muscle contraction in the pathogenesis of the headache, but conclusive studies are still lacking (IHS, 1991:29). Based on the IHS (1991:29) classification that tension-type headache is associated with a muscular component, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of specific myofascial trigger point therapy in the clinical presentation of Episodic Tension-type headache.

Thesis (M.Tech.: Chiropractic) -Dept. of Chiropractic, Durban Institute of Technology, 2003. xix, 199 leaves / The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of Myofascial Trigger Points of the quadriceps femoris muscle in the clinical presentation of Patellofemoral Pain syndrome. Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome according to current literature suggests an extensor mechanism dysfunction as the most probable etiology, however this syndrome has posed many unsolved mysteries and challenges to the medical community and remains a difficult condition to treat. Myofascial pain syndrome in contrast to this is a regional muscular disorder that results from myofascial trigger points within the muscle. The presence of these trigger points could result in anterior knee pain, imbalance of the extensor mechanism and instability of the patellofemoral joint, which could present as a Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome.

Thesis (M.Tech.: Chiropractic) -Dept. of Chiropractic, Durban Institute of Technology, 2002 / The purpose of this randomized controlled clinical trial was to investigate the relative effectiveness of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) versus ultrasound therapy for the treatment of Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction caused by masticatory myofascial trigger points, in terms of subjective and objective clinical findings.

A dissertation presented to the Faculty of Health Sciences at the Durban University of Technology in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master’s Degree in Technology: Chiropractic, 2009 / Introduction: The aetiology of Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMJD) is not fully understood and the treatment of TMJD is controversial. Most treatment plans are based on postulated aetiology. Treatment plans currently range from pharmacological to surgical and occasionally physical therapy is also used for any myofascial component. Myofacial Trigger Points (MFTP’s) in the head and neck region have similar pain referral patterns as TMJD and there is overlap in aetiology and epidemiology. If correlation can be proved to exist between the severities of TMJD and MFTP’s then the treatment of MFTP’s can potentially decrease the severity of TMJD and then the more radical treatments can be avoided. Objectives: To determine whether TMJD was present and establish severity. To locate any MFTP’s in the Sternocleidomastiod (SCM), Temporalis, Masseter, Posterior Cervical (PC), Lateral and Medial Pterygoid muscles and determine their severity. Methods: A random sample of 25 participants were evaluated. A p value <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Quantitative variables were summarized using median, inter-quartile range and range due to skewness of distribution, while categorical variables were described using frequency distributions and bar charts. Spearman’s nonparametric correlation analysis, and curve estimation were used to determine the existence of a relationship between TMJ severity and MFTP severity. A scatterplot was used to graphically assess the relationship. Conclusion: The results suggested that the participants were actually chronic neck pain suffers that developed TMJD over the long term as a result of chronic neck pain changing the kinematic biomechanics or as a result of a completely different and independent event as suggested by Foreman and Croft (1995).

Dissertation submitted to the faculty of health in partial compliance with the requirements for the Masters Degree in Technology: Chiropractic, at the Durban University of Technology, 2008 / Introduction: Myofascial Pain Syndrome (MPS) is a painful and prevalent muscular condition. It is characterized by the development of Myofascial trigger points (TrPs) that are locally tender when active and which can refer pain through specific patterns to other areas of the body distal from the trigger point. There exist many types of treatments for MPS of which dry needling is one of the most effective forms. However, a very common side-effect experienced is postneedling soreness, which when compared to trigger point injections are more painful, with respect to both intensity and duration. Studies have shown that the exact cause of post-needling soreness has not been clearly documented. Action Potential Simulation (APS) Therapy operates using a direct electric current (DC) on muscles. It stimulates action potentials that are stronger than the natural nerve impulses. It operates on a similar principle to the gate control theory of Melzack and Wall (1988) which results in the inhibition of nociceptive signals. Stimulation by the APS unit creates a normal action potential that restores the inherent biochemical processes in the region. This low to medium frequency current (below 150 Hz) has been reported to alleviate pain, decrease inflammation, enhance blood circulation and aid in wound and bone fracture healing. Methodology: This study was designed as a prospective, randomised, controlled experimental investigation. Sixty subjects were randomly allocated into three equal groups of 20 subjects each. Group One received the fanning dry needling technique; Group Two received a combination of fanning dry needling plus APS Therapy. Group Three was the control group in which the subjects were treated with fanning dry needling with „Sham‟ APS Therapy. Algometer and Numerical Pain Rating Scale 101 (NRS 101) readings were taken immediately before and after the dry needling procedure and again at the follow-up visit 24 hours later. Subjects used a 24-hour pain diary and the NRS 101 scale which was filled out at 3 hour intervals, to record any post-needling soreness. Results: An intra-group analysis revealed that, objectively and subjectively, all groups experienced some degree of post-needling soreness, which deceased significantly over time. This decrease of pain was not significantly related to the treatment group, and there is no evidence of the differential time effect with the treatment. An inter-group analysis yielded no statistically significant results regarding the effectiveness of the treatments received by the patients. This could be because of the small sample size or because „„Sham‟‟ APS is not a useful intervention. Conclusion: The results from this study revealed that all three treatment groups responded equally in the alleviation of pain. However, the dry-needling treatment group alone (Group One) revealed a much more significant decrease in pain compared to the other two. It can thus be concluded that APS Therapy had no significant beneficial effects on post-needling soreness.

Dissertation submitted to the Department of Chiropractic in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master’s Degree in Technology: Chiropractic, 2006. / Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is defined as the sensory, motor and autonomic symptoms caused by myofascial trigger points (MFTPs), or hyperirritable spots within skeletal muscles that are associated with palpable nodules in a taut band. The fact that MFTPs have been described in the literature for acupuncturists, anaesthesiologists, chronic pain managers, dentists, family practitioners, gynaecologists, neurologists, nurses, orthopaedic surgeons, paediatricians, physical therapists, physiologists, rheumatologists and veterinarians is evidence of the syndrome’s clinical importance. As a result of a large amount of research, a large number of different treatments have been shown to be clinically effective in the treatment of MFTP. These treatments include amongst others: - Ischaemic compression. - Myofascial manipulation. - Spray and stretch. - Ultrasound. - Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. - Dry needling. As can be seen from the above, it is important to be able to treat MPS effectively because it is such a common disorder. According to Schneider an effective treatment is needed for MPS, despite the array of treatments available to a clinician. Han and Harrison agree that more studies are required to determine the efficacy of these treatments. The aim of this study is to evaluate the relative effectiveness of Myofascial Trigger point Manipulation (MFTPM) as compared to Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitative (PNF) stretching in the treatment of active Myofascial Trigger Points (MFTPs) in the trapezius muscle (TP 1 and/or TP 2) in terms of subjective and objective clinical findings. The study required a total of 60 patients, which following acceptance were then randomly divided into two groups of 30, with an equal number of male patients in Group one (MFTPM) and two (PNF), and female patients in Group one and Group two. Each patient had four consultations (three treatments and one follow up visit) in a two week period. Subjective and Objective Data was recorded at each consultation prior to the treatment. Subjective measurements (Numerical Pain Rating Scale and Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire) were taken prior to the treatment at all four visits. Objective measurements (Cervical Range of Motion Meter and Algometer) were also taken prior to the treatment at all four visits, except for Algometer readings which were taken at the initial consultation and the fourth treatment only. SPSS version 11.5 was used for analysis of data (SPSS Inc, Chicago, Ill, USA). Baseline comparisons were done between treatment groups using Pearson’s chi square tests or Fisher’s exact tests as appropriate for categorical variables, and student’s t-tests for quantitative normally distributed variables. Treatment effect was assessed with repeated measures ANOVA. A significant time by group interaction indicated a significant differential treatment effect. A p value <0.05 designated statistical significance. The direction of the treatment effect was assessed with profile plots. Evaluation of data collected from both groups showed a significant improvement in terms of objective and subjective clinical findings to a value of p=< 0.001. There was no statistical difference between the two groups in terms of objective and subjective clinical findings, although a trend was shown when looking at the objective findings that suggest that MFTPM was more effective than PNF stretching. The sample population was drawn from a very homogenous group of people (i.e. SARS call centre), in order to achieve greatest emphasis on clinical outcomes. This process however limits the clinical applicability of the results and thus will not always be applicable to all patients within the population. It is therefore the researcher’s conclusion that there is no statistical difference between MFTPM and PNF stretching in terms of objective and subjective clinical findings. Both treatment modalities have been shown to be equally effective in the treatment of subacute active TPs in the upper tarpezius. There is a definite trend when looking at the objective data that may support the hypothesis that MFTPM is as effective as, if not more effective than PNF stretching. It is of the opinion of the author that a larger sample size is needed to make it clinically significant.

Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Masters Degree in Technology: Chiropractic, Durban University of Technology, 2008. / Dry needling is the most effective way of treating Myofascial Pain Syndrome and appears to be as effective as an injection of an anaesthetic into myofascial trigger points. However the side effect common to both dry needling and the injection of an anaesthetic, is the development of post-needling soreness. Post-needling soreness results from bleeding at the area of needle insertion. The immediate application of cold to a needled area may decrease the severity of the cellular damage by restricting local bleeding. Cryotherapy can also decrease both nerve excitability and histamine release, which may result in decreased pain experienced by patients. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of cryotherapy on post dry needling soreness. Therefore a randomised, 2 group parallel controlled clinical trial was proposed to test this hypothesis. Sixty asymptomatic volunteer participants between 18 and 50 were randomly divided into two equal groups - group A (combination group) received dry needling in conjunction with a cold gel pack, and group B received dry needling only. Algometer readings, a Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NRS 101) and a 24 Hour Pain Diary were used as assessment tools. SPSS version 15 was used for data analysis (SPSS Inc. Chicago, Ill, USA). Baseline demographics and outcome measurements (NRS 101, Algometer readings and 24 Hour Pain Diaries) were compared between the two groups using Pearson’s chi square tests or Independent Samples t-tests as appropriate For the evaluation of the treatment effect for the NRS 101 and Algometer outcomes, repeated measures ANOVA procedure was used. Twenty four hour Pain Diaries by group interactions were reported for comparison of the treatment effect in the two treatment groups. The number of participants reporting pain at various time points post treatment were compared cross-sectionally by group with Pearson’s chi square tests. A Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare time points post treatment at which the worst pain was experienced between groups. The change in the presence of pain over time was recorded as either no change, an increase (from no pain to pain) or a decrease (from pain to no pain). This wascompared between treatment groups using the Pearson’s chi square test. Intragroup correlations between changes in outcome variables were achieved with Pearson’s correlation. P values of <0.05 were considered as statistically significant. The results of the study showed no evidence of a beneficial effect of cryotherapy on objective or subjective findings. Thus it can be concluded that cryotherapy as used in this study had no significant effect on reducing post dry needling soreness.

Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master’s Degree in Technology: Chiropractic, Durban University of Technology, 2012. / Background: Therapeutic dry needling is an established modality for the treatment of myofascial pain, whereas limited research on Kinesiotape® exists. Kinesiotaping® is becoming popular, with the main benefit of being non-invasive and long wearing, thereby extending the treatment to the patient. This study aimed to determine the relative effectiveness of these two treatment modalities in patients with myofascial pain syndrome of the Trapezius muscle. Methods: The study design was a quantitative prospective randomised clinical trial. Fifty patients were equally and randomly allocated into either the dry needling or Kinesiotape® groups. Each patient received two treatments on separate visits to the upper trapezius muscle. Follow-ups were scheduled two to four days after the previous visit. Subjective measures were the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and the Neck Disability Index (NDI), whilst objective measures were pain pressure threshold (PPT) and cervical range of motion (CROM). Results: Kinesiotape® demonstrated statistical significant treatments with the VAS (p < 0.001), NDI (p < 0.001) and PPT (p= 0.022) (95% CI). Dry needling showed statistical improvements in VAS (p= 0.001) and NDI (p < 0.001) only. Also, Kinesiotape® demonstrated a clinically significant improvement with the VAS when compared to the minimal clinically important differences (MCIDs). Trends of a superior treatment effect of Kinesiotape® over dry needling was observed in the VAS and PPT groups (p= 0.155; p= 0.428). Future studies could repeat the study with larger sample sizes to determine if these trends can be validated. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that Kinesiotape® was at least as effective as dry needling in the treatment of Myofascial Pain Syndrome. Therefore, Kinesiotaping® is a non-invasive alternative to dry needling. Kinesiotape® therapy resulted in a greater change in pain and disability scores than did dry-needling trigger point therapy, implying that Kinesiotape® may be a noninvasive alternative to dry needling.

A Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master's Degree in Technology: Chiropractic, Durban Institute of Technology, 2003. / Headaches are one of the most common clinical problems in medicine (Edwards et al. 1995). It is estimated that one in three people suffer from headaches at some stage in their life (Kim et al. 1995). It is an extremely common complaint in the industrialized world (Nilsson, 1997) and has a significant impact on employee absenteeism, productivity and quality of life (Schwartz et al. 1997). In the United States more than 15 000 tons of Aspirin is consumed annually for the relief of headaches, and the cost of evaluation and treatment of headache patients consumes millions of dollars a year (Bernat and Vincent, 1993). Tension - type headache is the commonest form of headaches (Edwards et al. 1995). It is a highly prevalent condition experienced annually by 30 - 70% of the population, and as a chief complaint, it constitutes 5 - 8% of Chiropractic patients (Vernon and McDermaid, 1998). It is divided into an Episodic and Chronic form (IHS, 1991:29), with Episodic Tension-type headache being far more prevalent than Chronic Tension-type headache (Schwartz et al. 1998). Episodic Tension-type headache is further subdivided according to the presence or absence of a muscular factor. According to the International Headache Society (1991:29) for decades a dispute has prevailed concerning the importance of muscle contraction in the pathogenesis of the headache, but conclusive studies are still lacking (IHS, 1991:29). Based on the IHS (1991:29) classification that tension-type headache is associated with a muscular component, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of specific myofascial trigger point therapy in the clinical presentation of Episodic Tension-type headache. / M

Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master's Degree in Technology: Chiropractic, Durban University of Technology, 2007 / The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between Myofascial Pain Syndrome (MPS) of the pericranial musculature and the clinical presentation of episodic tension-type headache (ETTH). It set out to determine the extent to which MPS is related to the nature of the ETTH. ETTH is a very prevalent disorder, common to individuals in their third decade, and particularly females. Current literature suggests a multi-factorial aetiology, combining psychological and neuromusculoskeletal mechanisms, to name a few. Due to the many facets of this disorder, it has, for a long time, provided a challenge to the practitioner with regard to patient treatment and management. MPS is a condition that may affect any number of muscles, resulting in motor, sensory and autonomic symptoms. MPS of the pericranial muscles, namely the upper Trapezius, Sternocleidomastoid, Temporalis and Suboccipital muscles, produces a referred pain pattern similar to the pain pattern experienced during an ETTH. The literature states that the pain produced by MPS has been somewhat overlooked and it was thus necessary to further investigate the myofascial component of ETTH. This study was a quantitative, pilot, non-intervention, clinical assessment study, which required forty participants residing in the province of Kwa-Zulu Natal suffering from ETTH. The clinical assessment included a case history and physical and cervical examinations. The participants were requested to complete a headache diary over a period of 14 days. Following this, they returned to the Chiropractic Day Clinic for a second consultation. Data was collected at both consultations and the participant was offered one free treatment. The headache diary and Numerical Pain Rating Scale provided the subjective measurements, while the algometer and Myofascial Diagnostic Scale were used to gather the objective measurements. / M