The results show that TTMW is likely to be effective in
reducing pain in patients with upper back pain associated
with MTrPs. This is consistent with the findings reported
elsewhere in the literature. For example, in a study investigating
the use of a Thera Cane in patients with TrPs6), it
was found that the application of ischemic pressure with the
device was able to reduce pain when continued for 5 days
Fig. 3. The meridian massage lines of TTM on the upper back9)
Table 1. Demographic and baseline clinical characteristics of
patients
Characteristics TTMW Control
Number of patients 30 30
Demographic data
Age (years), mean ± SD 42.8 ± 10.0 41.6 ± 11.7
Gender, number of females 18 22
Weight (kg), mean ± SD 59.7 ± 14.7 62.4 ± 11.3
Height (cm), mean ± SD 159.7 ± 7.9 159.3 ± 7.4
Occupation by work load
Heavy work 5 6
Lighter work 25 24
Onset of symptoms
Acute 1–3 days 2 4
Subacute < 3 months 3 2
Chronic > months 25 24followed by sustained stretching. In another study, use of
activator TrP therapeutic equipment was found to be able to
reduce pain in patients suffering from nonspecific neck pain
with upper trapezius TrPs when 10 thrusts were performed
at the rate of 1 thrust per second10). It should be point out,
however, that those studies did not apply TTM principles
and differed markedly from the present research in terms
of the types of patients, body parts treated, pressure, treatment
procedures, duration, and the equipment involved. A
comparison of TTMW and ibuprofen revealed a statistically
significant difference between the two types of treatment.
Specifically, although both treatments were generally effective
in treating patients with upper back pain associated with
MTrPs, the former was found to contribute to greater pain
reduction than the latter as shown in Table 3. The superior
effectiveness of TTMW may be explained by the gate control
theory, which postulates that the exertion of pressure
through the skin and muscle tissues will stimulate pressure
receptors, thereby blocking the gate transmitting pain nerve
impulses at the spinal cord level