Comparison of the effectiveness of interfascial block and trigger point injection in the treatment of myofascial pain syndrome

The fascial plane has recently been the focus of interest in the treatment of myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) and interfascial blocks (IFB) have been shown to be effective in pain management. Few studies have compared the efficacy of ultrasound (US) guided IFB and trigger point injection (TPI). This study aimed to compare the effects of these two methods on pain and functionality in patients with myofascial pain in the trapezius muscle. 50 patients between the ages of 18-60 years, who presented with neck pain unresponsive to medical treatment for more than 3 months, had no other known disease, without significant discopathy and degeneration on cervical magnetic resonance imaging, met the diagnostic criteria for MPS, had a trigger point palpated in the trapezius muscle, who underwent US-guided TPI and 50 patients underwent US-guided IFB were analyzed. The Neck Disability Index (NDI) and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores before and 1 and 4 weeks after the procedure were evaluated in both groups. The pre and 4-week post-procedure VAS and NDI scores were similar in both groups, while the 1-week scores were significantly lower in IFB group than in TPI group (p<0.001, p=0.035). In both groups, the VAS and NDI scores decreased significantly at two follow-up points compared to pre-procedure scores (p<0.001). The current study demonstrated that US-guided IFB may be an alternative treatment to TPI in patients with myofascial pain in the trapezius muscle, improving pain and functional status, and is more effective than TPI in early pain management.