Abstract
Objective: This case report describes a patient with chronic recurrent myofascial pain syndrome in the shoulder/scapular area secondary to teres minor tendinitis. The purpose is to emphasize the importance of treating the underlying pathological lesion in order to eliminate the recurrent trigger points [TrPs] completely and permanently.
Methods: This 42-year-old male patient had chronic myofascial pain in the right scapular area. Initially, he was treated conservatively with medication and physical therapy and had only temporary pain relief for few days. Later, he was treated with TrP injections and had better results. However, the effectiveness of pain relief lasted for only two to three weeks.
Results: Finally, he was found to have chronic tendinitis of teres minor muscle and received local steroid injection followed by TrP injection with complete pain relief. A follow-up confirmed that he has no pain recurrence up to two years.
Conclusion: It is concluded that chronic recurrent myofascial pain syndrome in the shoulder/scapular area may be caused by teres minor tendinitis. It is necessary to eliminate the underlying etiological lesion appropriately in order to avoid the recurrence of myofascial pain. It may also be necessary to inject the TrPs in addition to the treatment of underlying pathology to obtain a complete pain relief.