On the basis of the limited number of studies available , and significant problems with their design , reporting , statistical integrity , and clinical applicability , physical examination can not currently be recommended as a reliable test for the diagnosis of trigger points .
BACKGROUND Trigger points are promoted as an important cause of musculoskeletal pain .
There is no accepted reference st and ard for the diagnosis of trigger points , and data on the reliability of physical examination for trigger points are conflicting .
OBJECTIVES To systematic ally review the literature on the reliability of physical examination for the diagnosis of trigger points .
Chronic pain in Australia: a prevalence study
& NA ; This study reports chronic pain prevalence in a r and omly selected sample of the adult Australian population . Data were collected by Computer‐Assisted Telephone Interview ( CATI ) using r and omly generated telephone numbers and a two‐stage stratified sample design . Chronic pain was defined as pain experienced every day for three months in the six months prior to interview . There were 17,543 completed interviews ( response rate=70.8 % ) . Chronic pain was reported by 17.1 % of males and 20.0 % of females . For males , prevalence peaked at 27.0 % in the 65–69 year age group and for females , prevalence peaked at 31.0 % in the oldest age group ( 80–84 years ) . Having chronic pain was significantly associated with older age , female gender , lower levels of completed education , and not having private health insurance ; it was also strongly associated with receiving a disability benefit ( adjusted OR=3.89 , P<0.001 ) or unemployment benefit ( adjusted OR=1.99 , P<0.001 ) ; being unemployed for health reasons ( adjusted OR=6.41 , P<0.001 ) ; having poor self‐rated health ( adjusted OR=7.24 , P<0.001 ) ; and high levels of psychological distress ( adjusted OR=3.16 , P<0.001 ) . Eleven per cent of males and 13.5 % of females in the survey reported some degree of interference with daily activities caused by their pain . Prevalence of interference was highest in the 55–59 year age group in both males ( 17.2 % ) and females ( 19.7 % ) . Younger respondents with chronic pain were proportionately most likely to report interference due to pain , affecting 84.3 % of females and 75.9 % of males aged 20–24 years with chronic pain . Within the subgroup of respondents reporting chronic pain , the presence of interference with daily activities caused by pain was significantly associated with younger age ; female gender ; and not having private health insurance . There were strong associations between having interfering chronic pain and receiving disability benefits ( adjusted OR=3.31 , P<0.001 ) or being unemployed due to health reasons ( adjusted OR=7.94 , P<0.001 , respectively ) . The results show that chronic pain impacts upon a large proportion of the adult Australian population , including the working age population , and is strongly associated with markers of social disadvantage
On the basis of the limited number of studies available , and significant problems with their design , reporting , statistical integrity , and clinical applicability , physical examination can not currently be recommended as a reliable test for the diagnosis of trigger points .
BACKGROUND Trigger points are promoted as an important cause of musculoskeletal pain .
There is no accepted reference st and ard for the diagnosis of trigger points , and data on the reliability of physical examination for trigger points are conflicting .
OBJECTIVES To systematic ally review the literature on the reliability of physical examination for the diagnosis of trigger points .