Effectiveness of myofascial trigger point therapy in chronic back pain patients is considerably increased when combined with a new, integrated, low-frequency shock wave vibrotherapy (Cellconnect Impulse): A two-armed, measurement repeated, randomized, controlled pragmatic trial

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of chronic back pain poses major challenges for all health care systems and patients worldwide. Myofascial trigger therapy (MT), although a very popular standard non-pharmaceutical form of treatment, only shows small to medium effectiveness. OBJECTIVE: To test a new vibrotreatment (Cellconnect Impulse) transmitting low-frequency, vertical shock waves in a routine clinical practice. METHODS: Eligible patients were adults seeking physiotherapeutic treatment. They were randomly allocated to either six treatments of MT or to six treatments of combined MT and vibrotreatment. Outcome parameters were pain intensity, pain days, pain duration, and quality of life. RESULTS: The pain relieving effects of the combined treatment were very large (d = 1.6). It clearly outperformed MT and considerably improved patients' health related quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: Combining MT with Cellconnect Impulse enhances the physiotherapeutic effectiveness of treating chronic back pain.