Comparison of NSAID Patch Given in Monotherapy and NSAID Patch in Combination With Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation, Heating Pad, or Topical Capsaicin in the Treatment of Patients With Myofascial Pain Syndrome of the Upper Trapezius: A Pilot Study

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT01884116

Enrollment

100

Registered

2013-06-21

Start date

2011-03-31

Completion date

2012-08-31

Last updated

2013-06-21

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Myofascial Pain Syndrome of the Upper Trapezius

Keywords

Capsaicin, myofascial pain syndrome, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents, transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation

Brief summary

Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is a common clinical problem of musculoskeletal pain and various treatment modalities have been introduced. If self-applicable physical modalities and medications that are used for treatment of MPS patients are combined, they may open up new possibilities for effective and practical self-care. The aim of this study is to compared the therapeutic effect of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) patch given in monotherapy and NSAID patch in combination with transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation, heating pad, or topical capsaicin in the treatment of patients with MPS of the upper trapezius.

Interventions

DRUGNSAID patch

DRUGNSAID patch + transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation

The patients of the experimental groups will be divided in to three groups according to what they are administered: NSAID patch plus transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation, NSAID patch plus heating pad, and NSAID patch plus topical capsaicin. All the groups will be observed for two weeks.

DRUGNSAID patch + heating pad

DRUGNSAID patch + topical capsaicin

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Masking

SINGLE (Investigator)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

20 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

1. Patients over 20 years of age with diagnosis of myofascial pain syndrome of the upper trapezius. 2. Visual analogue scale (VAS, 0 = no pain, 10 = worst pain) greater than

Exclusion criteria

1\. Pregnant or breast feeding women, patients who have taken opioids within seven days, patients with severe disease (heart disease, liver disease, etc) that might affect the results of the study, patients who have participated in another clinical study within 30 days.

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
The differences of the VAS pain scores	2weeks

Countries

South Korea

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026