Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 22, 2026
Author Spotlight: Methodologies and Advancements of Chronic Pain Management Research
Published on: January 5, 2024
Efficacy of Pulsed and Continuous Therapeutic Ultrasound in Myofascial Pain Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Study
Leman Ilter1, Banu Dilek, Ibrahim Batmaz
1From the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Dicle University Faculty of Medicine, Diyarbakir (LI, IB, MAS, KN, RC); Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Dokuz Eylul University Faculty of Medicine, Izmir (BD); and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinic, Siirt Medlife Hospital, Siirt, Turkey (MAU).
Objectives:
This study aimed to compare continuous and pulsed ultrasound therapy with sham ultrasound in terms of pain, severity of muscle spasm, function, depression, and quality of life in patients with myofascial pain syndrome.
Design:
Patients were randomly divided into three groups, including the continuous ultrasound group (3 MHz, 1 W/cm, n = 20), the pulsed ultrasound group (3 MHz, 1 W/cm, 1:1 ratio, n = 20), and control group (sham, n = 20). The primary outcome measures were severity of pain at rest and during activity (visual analog scale, 0-10 cm). The secondary outcome measures were function (Neck Pain and Disability Scale), depressive mood (Beck Depression Scale), and quality of life (Nottingham Health Profile). All evaluations were performed at baseline, after treatment, and at the 6th and 12th wks.
Results:
All three groups had significant improvements in all of the pain scores, the severity of muscle spasms, function assessments, and certain subparameters of the quality of life scale (P < 0.05). The continuous ultrasound group had significantly greater improvements in pain at rest (P < 0.05). However, no statistically significant differences were observed in the other parameters (P > 0.05).
Conclusions:
Continuous ultrasound therapy is more efficient in reducing pain at rest for myofascial pain syndrome patients than is sham or pulsed ultrasound therapy.
