Table 2.
Primary and secondary outcomes in the intervention group and the control group after 6 and 12 weeksa
| Outcome | Intervention (n = 34) | Control (n = 31) | Mean difference (95% CI) | P value | Effect size (Cohen's d) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DASH, mean (SD)b | |||||
| Baseline | 30.3 (16.6) | 30.8 (11.9) | 0.5 (-6.7-7.7) | NS | |
| After 6 wk | 23.4 (12.6) | 27.5 (15.5) | 4.1 (-2.8-11.1) | NS | |
| After 12 wk | 18.4 (12.3) | 26.1 (13.8) | 7.7 (1.2-14.2) | <0.05 | 0.60 |
| VAS-P1, mean (SD)c | |||||
| Baseline | 31.9 (24.3) | 35.2 (25.7) | 3.3 (-9.1-15.7) | NS | |
| After 6 wk | 29.0 (18.4) | 37.8 (17.9) | 8.8 (-0.2-17.8) | NS | |
| After 12 wk | 17.2 (19.5) | 31.0 (21.0) | 13.8 (2.6-25.0) | <0.05 | 0.69 |
| VAS-P2, mean (SD)c | |||||
| Baseline | 41.3 (19.7) | 43.4 (17.0) | 2.0 (-7.1-11.1) | NS | |
| After 6 wk | 32.9 (19.3) | 40.0 (20.7) | 6.7 (-3.6-17.0) | NS | |
| After 12 weeks | 22.5 (16.4) | 33.2 (23.3) | 10.2 (0.7-19.7) | <0.05 | 0.54 |
| VAS-P3, mean (SD)c | |||||
| Baseline | 54.9 (21.9) | 59.5 (18.2) | 4.6 (-14.6-5.4) | NS | |
| After 6 wk | 41.0 (25.1) | 56.6 (28.3) | 15.6 (2.3-28.8) | <0.05 | |
| After 12 wk | 34.0 (21.9) | 47.8 (27.3) | 13.8 (0.8-28.4) | <0.05 | 0.57 |
| GPE, number of patients (%) | RR (95% CI) | ||||
| Improved | |||||
| After 6 wk | 16/33 (49%) | 5/30 (17%) | <0.05 | 2.9 (1.2-7.0) | |
| After 12 wk | 18/33 (55%) | 4/28 (14%) | <0.05 | 3.8 (1.5-10.0) | |
| Number of muscles with active trigger points, mean (SD) | |||||
| Baseline | 7.4 (3.7) | 6.1 (3.5) | 1.3 (-0.5-3.1) | NS | |
| After 6 wk | 6.2 (3.5) | 6.8 (3.6) | 0.6 (-1.2-2.4) | NS | |
| After 12 wk | 4.8 (3.0) | 7.5 (3.2) | 2.7 (1.2-4.2) | <0.05 | 0.89 |
| Number of muscles with latent trigger points, mean (SD) | |||||
| Baseline | 4.2 (2.7) | 5.9 (3.0) | 1.7 (-0.3-3.1) | <0.05 | |
| After 6 wk | 3.8 (2.1) | 4.8 (2.8) | 1.0 (-2.3-0.2) | NS | |
| After 12 wk | 4.7 (2.3) | 4.4 (2.3) | 0.4 (-0.7-1.5) | NS | 0.13 |
a95% CI, 95% confidence interval; SD, standard deviation; ES, effect size; NS, not significant; RR, relative ratio; GPE, global perceived effect. bHigher scores on the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand outcome measure, Dutch-language version (DASH-DLV) and more disability, with a maximum of 100 (range, 0-100). cHigher scores on the Visual Analogue Scale for Pain (VAS-P) indicate more pain, with a maximum of 100 (range, 0-100). VAS-P1 represents the current pain score, VAS-P2 represents the average pain score for the past 7 days, and VAS-P3 represents the most severe pain score for the past 7 days.