Objective: The present study investigated the effects of self-myofascial release (SMFR) on pain perception, myofascial trigger point (MTrP) activity, and conditioned pain modulation (CPM) response in patients with myofascial pain syndrome (MPS).

Methods: A total of 32 MPS patients with a visual analog scale (VAS) score greater than 30/100 mm were enrolled and randomly assigned to 3 groups of 4 weeks of intervention – A) SMFR with a 60 s period (n=11), B) SMFR with a 30 s period (n=10) and C) conventional myofascial release (MFR) performed by the physiotherapist (n=11). Pressure pain threshold (PPT), VAS, resting-state electromyography amplitude (rAEMG) and conditioned pain modulation response (CPM-R) were assessed before, 1 week, 2 weeks and 4 weeks during the intervention.

Results: Compared with baseline, VAS and rAEMG levels in were significantly decreased, while the PPT and CPM-R values were significantly increased in all groups after 4 weeks’ intervention without significant difference between groups.

Conclusion: Both SMFR and MFR techniques with a single pressing duration of 60s and 30s had significant therapeutic effects on chronic myofascial pain, with the decrease of VAS and rAEMG, the increase of PPT and CPM-R values, indicating that SMFR could activate and restore the function of descending pain modulation.