Background . Chronic non-specific neck pain is a frequent complaint. It is a recognized medical and socioeconomic problem and a frequent cause of job absenteeism. In recent years, case reports about myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) are emerging among patients suffering from pain. MPS is a regional pain syndrome characterized by myofascial trigger points (MTrP) in palpable taut bands of skeletal muscle that refer pain to a distance, and that can cause distant motor and autonomic effects. Objective. To assess the prevalence of active and latent MTrPs in subjects suffering from chronic non-specific neck pain. Design . A population-based cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out from January 2012 to December 2014. Setting. Three primary healthcare centers in Alcalá de Henares, Madrid (Spain). Subjects. Two hundred and twenty-four participants diagnosed by their family doctor with chronic non-specific neck pain. Methods. Participants were examined by a physical therapist to determine the presence of MPS. Pain descriptions from the subjects and pain body diagrams guided the physical examination. The subjects were not given any information concerning MPS or other muscle pain syndromes. Results . All participants presented with MPS. MTrPs of the trapezius muscles were the most prevalent, in 93.75% of the participants. The most prevalent active MTrPs were located right (82.1%) and left (79%) in the nearly-horizontal fibers of the upper trapezius muscle. Furthermore, active MTrPs in the levator scapulae, multifidi, and splenius cervicis muscles reached a prevalence of 82.14%, 77.68%, and 62.5%, respectively. Conclusions . MPS is a common source of pain in subjects presenting chronic non-specific neck pain.

Background: The evaluation of sexual function is an important outcome in women who suffer some pelvic floor disorders (PFD). The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) is the most widely used questionnaire to evaluate the sexual health in female population. This study presents the adaptation and psychometric validation of the FSFI for Spanish women with PFD. Methods: The Spanish version of the FSFI was developed through the forward and backward translation process. The psychometric properties of reliability, validity, responsiveness, and feasibility were conducted in Spanish women with PFD who were assigned to the case or control group (with or without sexual dysfunction respectively). Results: A total of 323 Spanish women with PFD were recruited. The cross-cultural adaptation of the Spanish FSFI achieved a good semantic, conceptual, idiomatic, and content equivalence. The test-retest reliability was shown to be high in all of the cases. The convergent validity showed high results in the domain intercorrelations between each domain and total FSFI. The discriminant validity showed statistically significant differences between sexual dysfunction and control groups. The responsiveness was shown to be moderate to good in the dimensions and excellent in the total FSFI. Conclusions: Spanish FSFI can be used as a reliable, valid, responsive, and feasible instrument for assessing sexual function in women.

To determine whether two independent examiners can agree on a diagnosis of myofascial pain syndrome (MPS). To evaluate interexaminer reliability in identifying myofascial trigger points in upper quarter muscles. To evaluate the reliability of clinical diagnostic criteria for the diagnosis of MPS. To evaluate the validity of clinical diagnostic criteria for the diagnosis of MPS. Validity and reliability study. Provincial Hospital. Toledo, Spain. Twenty myofascial pain syndrome patients and 20 healthy, normal control subjects, enrolled by a trained and experienced examiner. Ten bilateral muscles from the upper quarter were evaluated by two experienced examiners. The second examiner was blinded to the diagnosis group. The MPS diagnosis required at least one muscle to have an active myofascial trigger point. Three to four days separated the two examinations. The primary outcome measure was the frequency with which the two examiners agreed on the classification of the subjects as patients or as healthy controls. The kappa statistic (K) was used to determine the level of agreement between both examinations, interpreted as very good (0.81–1.00), good (0.61–0.80), moderate (0.41–0.60), fair (0.21–0.40), or poor (≤0.20). Interexaminer reliability for identifying subjects with MPS was very good (K = 1.0). Interexaminer reliability for identifying muscles leading to a diagnosis of MPS was also very good (K = 0.81). Sensitivity and specificity showed high values for most examination tests in all muscles, which confirms the validity of clinical diagnostic criteria in the diagnosis of MPS. Interrater reliability between two expert examiners identifying subjects with MPS involving upper quarter muscles exhibited substantial agreement. These results suggest that clinical criteria can be valid and reliable in the diagnosis of this condition.

Hypopressive exercises have emerged as a conservative treatment option for pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD). The aim of this study was to compare the effects of an eight-week hypopressive exercise program to those of an individualized pelvic floor muscle (PFM) training (PFMT) program, and to a combination of both immediately after treatment and at follow-up assessments at 3, 6 and 12 months later. The study was a prospective, single-centre, assessor-blinded, randomised controlled trial. Ninety-four women with PFD were assigned to PFMT (n = 32), hypopressive exercises (n = 31) or both (n = 31). All programs included the same educational component, and instruction about lifestyle interventions and the knack manoeuvre. Primary outcomes were the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory Short Form (PFDI-20); the Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire Short Form (PFIQ-7); PFM strength (manometry and dynamometry) and pelvic floor basal tone (dynamometry). There were no statistically significant differences between groups at baseline, nor after the intervention. Overall, women reduced their symptoms (24.41–30.5 on the PFDI-20); improved their quality of life (14.78–21.49 on the PFIQ-7), improved their PFM strength (8.61–9.32 cmH₂O on manometry; 106.2–247.7 g on dynamometry), and increased their pelvic floor basal tone (1.8–22.9 g on dynamometry). These data suggest that individual PFMT, hypopressive exercises and a combination of both interventions significantly reduce PFD symptoms, enhance quality of life, and improve PFM strength and basal tone in women with PFD, both in the short and longer term.