Introduction: In the presented research, we characterized the contralateral effect after applying capacitive and resistive transfer of energy (TECAR) in the treatment of active myofascial trigger point (MTrP). In order to assess the contralateral effect, we used the infrared thermovision method. We hypothesize that by means of thermal imaging studies, we will be able to present and confirm the contralateral effect which can be important in establishing the MTrP treatment protocol with the use of TECAR. Material and methods: In the study, thermographic imaging was performed on a group of 6 volunteers with an age range [25-45] years (mean age: 32.3 years ± 9.83 years) who were randomly selected for the study from among people practicing recreational sports and showing the clinical presence of active MTrP in the upper trapezius muscle (UT). Results: On both sides, the reference area (side untreated) and the target area (side treated), there was an increase in the percentage changes of isotherms. These results indicate the presence of a contralateral effect. The use of TECAR therapy ipsilaterally in the treatment of MTrP in UT results in an increase of temperature on the symmetrical body part and it may be connected with the presence of vascular contralateral effect on the untreated side. Conclusions: These changes were investigated by IR which, as our research shows, can be an effective form of assessing the therapeutic effects of TECAR in MTrP treatment.
It was found previously that unilateral electrolytic and 6-OHDA lesions of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and unilateral intra-VTA injection of bicuculline resulted in facilitation of behavioral responses evoked by electrical stimulation of the symmetrical VTA area in the contralateral hemisphere. We postulated that „the contralateral facilitation effect", which may reflect the yet unexplored mechanism of immediate compensation after acute unilateral brain injury, is attributable to the A10 DA neurons and their regulatory inputs. The present study was aimed at examining the possible involvement of NMDA-mediated glutamatergic transmission in VTA in the „contralateral facilitation effect". The behavioral model of the VTA stimulation-induced feeding in rats was used. Latency to eat was measured as a function of stimulation frequency before and after unilateral intra-VTA injection of non-competitive NMDA receptors antagonist, MK-801, (doses 0.0, 1.25 and 2.5 p,g). MK-801 caused a dose-dependent augmentation of feeding evoked by stimulation of the contralateral VTA, which manifested as a decrease in the reaction frequency threshold and a leftward shift of the latency/frequency curve. Dose 2.5 replicated the facilitatory effect of electrolytic and 6-OHDA lesions. The results are interpreted in terms of MK-801-evoked depression of excitatory glutamatergic tone over A10 DA cells and compensatory increase in DA release in the contralateral hemisphere.