Can Acupuncture help relieve muscle pain in Muscular Dystrophy?

Abstract

Can muscle or myofascial pain in muscular dystrophies be relieved by muscle-centred acupuncture? After a discussion of the key notions of "myofascial trigger points" and specific acupuncture needle manipulations, we report some complex clinical cases among patients with NeuroMuscular Diseases (NMD) and Charcot Marie Tooth (CMT) in whom myofascial pain could not be controlled by drug treatments and/or physical techniques. They were seen on outpatient basis between 2010 and 2017 at the Rothschild Hospital (Paris), in the Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM) department. After the initial medical appointment, several care strategies were proposed, including neuro-acupuncture performed by a PRM physician. This department was linked to the Expert Center for Rare NMD "Paris-Nord-Est-Ile-de- France"