Latent myofascial trigger point injection improves symptoms in functional gastrointestinal disorders

Table 1 Baseline characteristics of study participants, mean ± SD/n (%)

Characteristic	Total (N = 60)	Injection group (n = 30)	Medication group (n = 30)	P value
Mean age (years)	42.5 ± 8.7	41.8 ± 8.5	43.2 ± 8.9	0.562
Gender				0.589
Female	37 (61.7)	18 (60.0)	19 (63.3)
Male	23 (38.3)	14 (46.7)	9 (30.0)
Disease type				0.752
Irritable bowel syndrome	27 (45)	15 (50)	12 (40)
Functional dyspepsia	21 (35)	9 (30)	12 (40)
Functional abdominal pain	12 (20)	6 (20)	6 (20)
Mean disease duration (years)	3.4 ± 1.8	3.2 ± 1.7	3.5 ± 1.9	0.487
Body mass index (kg/m2)	23.8 ± 3.3	23.5 ± 3.2	24.1 ± 3.5	0.612
Education level				0.785
Below college	22 (36.7)	11 (36.7)	11 (36.7)
Undergraduate	25 (41.7)	12 (40)	13 (43.3)
Postgraduate and above	13 (21.6)	7 (23.3)	6 (20)
Smoking status				0.810
Smoker	15 (25.0)	8 (26.7)	7 (23.3)
Non-smoker	45 (75.0)	22 (73.3)	23 (76.7)
Alcohol consumption				0.720
Yes	12 (20.0)	6 (20.0)	6 (20.0)
No	48 (80.0)	24 (80.0)	24 (80.0)
Physical activity level				0.650
Low	18 (30.0)	9 (30.0)	9 (30.0)
Moderate	27 (45.0)	14 (46.7)	13 (43.3)
High	15 (25.0)	7 (23.3)	8 (26.7)
Comorbidities				0.900
Hypertension	10 (16.7)	5 (16.7)	5 (16.7)
Diabetes mellitus	8 (13.3)	4 (13.3)	4 (13.3)
Cardiovascular disease	6 (10.0)	3 (10.0)	3 (10.0)

Table 2 Rapid symptom relief effect of latent myofascial trigger point injection therapy, mean ± SD

Symptom indicators	Baseline	2 weeks	4 weeks	P value
GSRS score
Injection group	14.2 ± 3.5	8.7 ± 2.4	6.3 ± 1.9	< 0.01
Medication group	14.5 ± 3.6	11.3 ± 3.1	9.6 ± 2.7	< 0.01
IBS-SSS score
Injection group	12.6 ± 3.2	7.5 ± 2.1	5.4 ± 1.7	< 0.01
Medication group	12.8 ± 3.5	10.2 ± 2.8	8.7 ± 2.5	< 0.01
Abdominal pain intensity
Injection group	6.3 ± 1.7	3.5 ± 1.2	2.1 ± 0.9	< 0.01
Medication group	6.5 ± 1.8	4.8 ± 1.5	3.7 ± 1.3	< 0.01
Bloating severity
Injection group	5.7 ± 1.5	3.2 ± 1.1	2.0 ± 0.8	< 0.01
Medication group	5.9 ± 1.6	4.5 ± 1.3	3.5 ± 1.2	< 0.01
Abnormal defecation
Injection group	4.8 ± 1.3	2.7 ± 0.9	1.6 ± 0.7	< 0.01
Medication group	5.0 ± 1.4	3.9 ± 1.2	2.8 ± 1.0	< 0.01

GSRS: Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale; IBS-SSS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome Severity Scoring System.

Table 3 Significantly improved treatment response and reduced medication dependency, mean ± SD

Indicators	Injection group	Medication group	P value
GIQLI scores
Baseline	45.6 ± 6.2	45.2 ± 6.1	0.957
4 weeks post-treatment	68.5 ± 6.1	57.3 ± 5.5	< 0.001
Treatment effectiveness
Clinical effectiveness rate (%)	83.3	56.7	< 0.001
Emergency medication usage
4 weeks post-treatment (frequency)	1.2 ± 0.5	3.7 ± 1.2	< 0.001
Symptom assessment scores1
Abdominal pain score	2.1 ± 0.8	3.4 ± 1.1	< 0.001
Bloating severity score	1.8 ± 0.6	2.9 ± 0.9	0.002
Nausea frequency (episodes/week)	1.5 ± 0.4	2.8 ± 0.7	0.003
Patient satisfaction and quality metrics
Patient satisfaction score (0-10)	8.2 ± 1.1	6.5 ± 1.3	< 0.001
Treatment compliance rate (%)	92.5	85.3	0.018
Return to daily activities (days)	2.3 ± 0.8	4.1 ± 1.2	< 0.001

¹Symptom scores are assessed on a 0-10 scale where lower scores indicate improvement.

GIQLI: Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index.

Table 4 Safety assurance of the new treatment method, n (%)

Safety indicator	Injection group (n = 30)	Medication group (n = 30)	P value
Adverse event rate (%)	10	26.7	< 0.05
Specific adverse events
Mild local pain	6 (20)	0 (0)	< 0.05
Slight injection site redness	3 (10)	0 (0)	< 0.05
Gastrointestinal discomfort	0 (0)	9 (30)	< 0.05
Constipation	0 (0)	5 (16.7)	< 0.05
Dizziness	0 (0)	4 (13.3)	< 0.05
Nausea	0 (0)	3 (10)	< 0.05
Headache	0 (0)	2 (6.7)	< 0.05
Fatigue	0 (0)	3 (10)	< 0.05
Severe adverse events	0 (0)	0 (0)