Ultrasonic tissue characterization of the upper trapezius muscle in patients with myofascial pain syndrome

Myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) are palpable, tender nodules in skeletal muscle that produce symptomatic referred pain when palpated. MTrPs are characteristic findings in myofascial pain syndrome (MPS). The role of MTrPs in the pathophysiology of MPS is unknown. Objective characterization and quan...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:2012 Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society 2012-01, Vol.2012, p.4386-4389
Main Authors: Turo, D., Otto, P., Shah, J. P., Heimur, J., Gebreab, T., Armstrong, K., Gerber, L. H., Sikdar, S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bars
Electronic mail
Entropy
Image color analysis
Muscles
Pain
Ultrasonic imaging
Citations: Items that cite this one
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Description
Summary:Myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) are palpable, tender nodules in skeletal muscle that produce symptomatic referred pain when palpated. MTrPs are characteristic findings in myofascial pain syndrome (MPS). The role of MTrPs in the pathophysiology of MPS is unknown. Objective characterization and quantitative measurement of the properties of MTrPs can improve their localization and diagnosis, as well as lead to clinical outcome measures. MTrPs associated with soft tissue neck pain are often found in the upper trapezius muscle. We have previously demonstrated that MTrPs can be visualized using ultrasound imaging. The goal of this study was to evaluate whether texture-based image analysis can differentiate structural heterogeneity of symptomatic MTrPs and normal muscle.
ISSN:1094-687X
1558-4615
2694-0604
DOI:10.1109/EMBC.2012.6346938