Ischemic pressure vs. post-isometric relaxation for treatment of rhomboid latent myofascial trigger point: a systemic review

A.B. Albaker

Orthopaedic Surgery Unit, Department of Surgical Specialties, College of Medicine, Majmaah University, Majmaah, Saudi Arabia. a.albaker@mu.edu.sa

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• Orthopedics

OBJECTIVE: This systematic review was carried out to review ischemic pressure and post-isometric relaxation for treatment of rhomboid latent myofascial trigger point.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This systematic review was organized using PRISMA and Cochrane standards. This meta-analysis compares ischemic pressure to post-isometric relaxation for rhomboid latent myofascial trigger point. Search terms included: myofascial pain, trigger point, ischemia pressure, post-isometric relaxation, and electric stimulation. We first searched MEDLINE (including ePub, Ahead of Print, InProgress, and Other Non-Indexed Citations) and then EMBASE and the Cochrane CENTRAL Register of Controlled Trials. Searches were conducted from the databases’ inception through August 2022.

RESULT: The RCT review followed PRISMA criteria. PubMed, Embase, PSYCHInfo, and the Cochrane Library were searched from their origin without language constraints to locate all RCTs linked to ischemic pressure vs. post-isometric relaxation for therapy of rhomboid latent myofascial trigger point. 463 duplicates were removed. 140 of 174 citations were removed. Seven high-quality full-text papers out of 34 were included.

CONCLUSIONS: Conservative and noninvasive treatments can only raise pain tolerance. Compared to standard treatment, ischemia pressure and post-isometric relaxation reduced shoulder and neck pain and PPT discomfort. This study suggests that ischemia compression may be more effective than post-isometric relaxation for treating rhomboid latent myofascial trigger points (MTP). Future progress in the field will depend on multi-subject RCTs.

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