Comparison of the Effectiveness of Radial Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy Versus High Intensity Laser Therapy in Patients With Myofascial Pain Syndrome of Upper Trapezius Muscle

To compare the pain intensity, neck range of motion, muscle length, neck disability, and frequency of pain symptoms between Radial Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy and High-Intensity Laser Therapy in patients with Myofascial Pain Syndrome of the Upper Trapezius muscle.

Randomised control trial with blind participants and outcome assessors

This study will be conducted in a laboratory setting, and a schedule will be established to allocate separate times for each group.

Inclusion criteria -Aged between 18-24 years -Diagnosed with Myofascial pain syndrome of the Upper trapezius muscle -Duration of pain is equal to or more than 3 months -Severity of pain is equal to or more than 3 out of 10 Exclusion criteria -Use of medication -History of cancer -Wound in the area requiring treatment -Patient with a pacemaker -Pregnant -Diagnosed by a physician with a mental disorder -Vigorous exercise or physical activity -Experienced trauma in the neck area affecting the function

This study will be divided into 3 groups. Participants in the Shockwave group will receive 2,000 shocks, consisting of 1,000 shocks at 1.5 bars with a frequency of 15 Hz at trigger points, and 1,000 shocks at 2 bars with a frequency of 8 Hz around the trigger point, with treatments conducted once a week. Participants in the High-intensity Power Laser group will be treated with lasers of wavelengths 810 nm and 980 nm, at a power of 7 watts, also once a week. Participants in the Control group, as well as those in all other groups, will perform stretching exercises daily and record data in a log book. The total duration of treatment for all groups is 4 weeks.

- Pain symptoms at the Upper trapezius muscle - Muscle length of the Upper trapezius muscle - Neck range of motion - Neck function - Frequency of pain

Stratified Randomization with matched pairs of variables, including age, gender, and BMI. Subsequently, computer software is employed as the tool for randomization

This study employs a double-blind method for both participants and outcome assessors. Once participants are randomized into groups, they are scheduled for treatment sessions at different times for each group. Furthermore, the outcome assessor, who is a physiotherapist unaware of the participant's group allocation, conducts baseline and post-treatment measurements. Another physiotherapist, who is responsible for overseeing the study, performs participant randomization into groups and administers the interventions.

Data will be collected for the primary outcome measure only and all collected de-identified.

Personal information of research project participants will be kept confidential and will not be publicly disclosed individually. A consolidated report will be generated, and all documents will be starting in March 2024 and securely destroyed by January 2028.

The personal data of research participants will be collected on encrypted computers inaccessible to individuals not involved in the study. The researcher will anonymize information for academic purposes.

The personal data of research participants will be collected on encrypted computers inaccessible to individuals not involved in the study. The researchers will analyze the results using the SPSS program, which is an offline application.

Researchers will communicate with participants via telephone. Postal or email addresses, website URLs, and fax numbers are not required for this study. Data files will be treated as confidential and will not be disclosed publicly on an individual basis. A consolidated report will be produced, and all documents will be securely destroyed by January 2028.

The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. However, access will be provided only for the primary outcome measure and data that cannot be personally identified.