application of combined laser andcompression therapy on the pain and level of disability on trigger points in upper trapezius muscle

Introduction: musculoskeletal disorders are among the main causes of disability in modernlife. myofascial trigger points are very common among musculoskeletal disorders and mayoccur through ordinary common activities. this study aimed to determine the combined effectsof laser therapy and ischemic compression (ic) on the treatment of myofascial trigger points(mtrps) at the upper trapezius muscle.materials and methods: twenty men with at least one active trigger point at their uppertrapezius muscle voluntarily participated in this study. trigger points were under treatmentof laser irradiation (6 joules per point) and also ischemic compression. treatment approacheswere applied over the pain point every other day for 5 sessions in 10 days. neck disability index,pain intensity by visual analog scale, pressure pain threshold by algometry, and cervical lateralflexion by goniometer were assessed and recorded before the intervention, and immediatelyafter the last session.results: at the end of treatment, statistically significant improvements were seen in the neckdisability index, vas value, pressure pain threshold, and cervical lateral flexion. vas values ofthe treatment and control groups were compared with the baseline (p<0.001).conclusion: application of combined laser and compression therapy was effective on the painand level of disability of patients with trigger points in the upper trapezius muscle.