Myofascial Pain Syndrome as a Cause of Acute Radicular Pain: A Case Study

Abstract

<strong>Background: </strong>Low back pain is a common disease among young people causing pain, disability, and loss of many valuable working days. Low back pain can have various causes, one of which, usually disregarded, is the myofascial pain syndrome, which is caused by trigger points in the muscles and which leads to occasionally acute low back pain with radicular patterns. Timely and correct diagnosis of the cause of low back pain can help greatly in opting for the appropriate medical plan.<br /> <strong>Case Presentation:</strong> The patient is a 34-year-old man suffering from chronic low back pain for the last four years. He had been afflicted by acute radicular pain in his left leg because of intense physical activity the day before seeking treatment. In the examinations conducted, the patient's straight leg raise (SLR) test result was positive at 20 degrees, his left leg's Achilles reflex was absent, and he could not stand on his left toes. Through palpation of the gluteal area, several trigger points were palpated and discovered in the gluteus muscles, especially gluteus medius and piriformis. Conservative treatment including resting, medicine, and physiotherapy was initiated, which improved the patient's conditions to some extent Subsequently, a dry needling process was conducted for the gluteal region trigger points. After the sixth session of dry needling, the patient improved significantly, his SLR test was negative, and he returned to his normal work.<br /> <strong>Conclusion:</strong> Attending to various causes of low back pain with a radicular pattern, including myofascial pain syndrome, can help greatly in selecting an appropriate treatment plan. In the cases where low back pain is accompanied by active trigger points in muscles, dry needling and injection can help avoid invasive and expensive treatments.