Comparison of the Efficacy of Kinesio Taping and TENS Therapy in Patients With Cervical Myofascial Pain Syndrome

Exercise therapy is one of the most commonly used conservative treatment methods in the cervical MAS treatment protocol. Patients in the first group will be given trunk stabilization training, scapular adductor muscle strengthening, cervical posterior tilt, and stretching exercises for neck rotators, scalene muscles, levator scapula muscle, upper trapezius muscle, posterior cervical and suboccipital muscles. Among these exercises, it will be said that the strengthening exercises should be done in 2 sets of 30 repetitions a day, and the stretching exercises should be done in 2 sets of 10 repetitions. These exercises will be given as a home program and you will be asked to practice them every day for 4 weeks.

TENS is an electric current applied with superficial electrodes placed on the skin and used to relieve pain. Conventional (Traditional) TENS is the most commonly used type. It affects the transmission of pain on the gate control theory by affecting the thick, myelinated, afferent A alpha and beta fibers. The effect of conventional TENS begins in 30 minutes and disappears within approximately 2 hours after treatment is stopped. TENS will be applied to the patients in the second group with a Bio-Stim brand VH-1000 model TENS device in the form of symmetrical, biphasic quadrilateral pulses for 100 msec. Frequency is 60 Hertz (Hz), intensity will be adjusted according to the patient's perception of paresthesia. The negative electrode will be placed on the active trigger point on the upper trapezius muscle and the positive electrode on the acromial tendon. The total duration of the application will be 20 minutes and 1 session will be applied every day for two weeks, a total of 10 sessions.

Kinesiology taping has a wide range of indications, especially in the musculoskeletal system. It is used to protect against tissue damage in the musculoskeletal system and to treat existing injuries, injuries, pain and dysfunctions. Patients who receive kinesiology taping treatment will receive treatment six times in total for three weeks, with 3-day intervals. After the patient is allowed to sit comfortably on the chair, taping will be performed between the acromioclavicular joint and the C7 spinous process using the upper trapezius inhibition technique. In addition, a small kinesiological taping test will be applied to the patient's volar forearm as a rapid allergy screening test to prevent any dermatological allergic reaction.