Intramuscular Stimulation Therapy

ABSTRACT

Muscle pain can be caused by various causes and it deteriorates the patient’s function and quality of life. Intramuscular stimulation therapy, performed under the concept of myofascial pain syndrome, is an effective treatment for relieving somatic pain in skeletal muscles through muscle relaxation, improving the limited range of motion of joints, enhancing muscle strength, and improving accompanying autonomic nervous system symptoms. Dry needling, trigger point injection, and intramuscular electrical stimulation are typical methods of intramuscular stimulation, and they must be safely performed by experienced practitioners. The mechanism, clinical use, efficacy, and precautions of intramuscular stimulation therapy will be reviewed in this article. Although additional supplementation of the academic evidence of intramuscular stimulation is still needed through experimental research, it is expected that the clinical application area can be expanded.