Prevalence, patterns, and impact of myofascial pain in patients with head and neck cancer after cancer treatment - A single-center crosssectional study in India

Q: What was the aim of the study?

To estimate the prevalence, muscle involvement patterns, and emotional impact of myofascial pain—especially depression—three months after head and neck cancer treatment.

Q: How was the study conducted?

A time-bound single-center cross-sectional observational design used convenience sampling of 120 patients post-surgery or radiotherapy between April 2023 and March 2024.

Q: What were the key findings about prevalence and depression?

Myofascial pain was present in 68.3% of participants. Depression on PHQ-9 was reported in 75.8%, and among those with myofascial pain, 85.4% showed depressive symptoms, with pain and depression positively correlated.

Q: Which muscles were most affected by myofascial pain?

The sternocleidomastoid was most affected (55%), followed by the masseter (29.2%), trapezius (25.8%), and temporalis (15%); several other neck-related muscles were also involved.

Sep 23, 2026

Uploaded by Rhys

Head and neck cancer is a leading global malignancy, with substantial burdens of chronic cancer-related pain and high rates of psychological distress. This single-center cross-sectional study assesses the prevalence, musculoskeletal topography, and emotional impact of myofascial pain, focusing on depressive outcomes three months after treatment. Convenience sampling enrolled 120 patients post-surgery or radiotherapy (April 2023–March 2024). Descriptive statistics, chi-square, Pearson correlation, and regression were used to analyze pain, muscle involvement, and depression severity.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Purpose and background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Keywords

Praveen etal. BMC Palliative Care (2025) 24:109 BMC Palliative Care [https://doi.org/10.1186/s12904-025-01745-y](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12904-025-01745-y) RESEARCH Open Access Prevalence, patterns, and impact of myofascial pain in patients with head and neck cancer after cancer treatment-a single-center crosssectional study in India Aswathi Praveen 1, Krithika Rao 1*, S. Gayatri 1, Anuja D. Damani 1, Arun Ghoshal 1, Shreya Nair 1, Naveena A. N. Kumar2, Shirley Lewis Salins3, Ananth Pai4, Anshul Singh3, Karthik S. Udupa4, Nawaz Usman2 and Naveen S. Salins 1 Abstract Purpose Head and neck cancer is the seventh most prevalent cancer, with over 660,000 new cases and 325,000 annual fatalities, accounting for 30% of all cancer cases. Chronic cancer-related pain affects 15–75% of patients, with myofascial pain being especially common in those with head and neck cancers, ranging from 11.9 to 44 . 8% . Surgery and radiotherapy, the primary treatments for these cancers, contribute to myofascial pain development. Additionally, head and neck cancer patients face higher psychological distress, with rates up to 50% . This study estimates the prevalence, topography of the musculoskeletal group, and emotional impact of myofascial pain in terms of depression in patients three months post-treatment, emphasizing early diagnosis for improved quality of life. Methods We conducted a time-bound cross-sectional observational study using convenience sampling of 120 patients with head and neck cancer who were post-surgery or radiotherapy over a 12-month period from April 2023 to March 2024. Data were collected using structured proforma and validated tools. Descriptive statistics summarized continuous variables, and chi-square tests compared categorical variables. Pearson correlation measured linear relationships, while regression analysis estimated the relationship between pain and explanatory variables. A twosided p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results The prevalence of myofascial pain was 68 . 3%(n = 82), though no statistically significant relationship was found between its occurrence and time since therapy (p >0. 05) . The most affected muscle was sternocleidomastoid (55%), followed by masseter (29 . 2%), trapezius (25 . 8%), temporalis (15%), levator scapulae (8 . 3%), posterior cervical (5 . 8%), and splenius capitis (3 . 3%) . Additionally, 75 . 8%(n = 91) of participants had depression on PHQ-9, with 85.4%(n = 70) with myofascial pain experiencing depressive symptoms. Pain score and depression in patients with myofascial pain were positively correlated with a value of 0.579 (p-value < 0. 05) . *Correspondence: Krithika Rao [krithika.rao@manipal.edu](krithika.rao@manipal.edu) Full list of author information is available at the end of the article © The Author(s) 2025. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit [http://creativecommons.org/l](http://creativecommons.org/l)icenses/by/4.0/. Praveen et al. BMC Palliative Care (2025) 24:109 Page 2 of 9 Conclusion Myofascial pain is common in patients with head and neck cancer post-treatment with a negative impact on emotional well-being. It primarily affects the muscles involved in the neck and sho

FAQs

What was the aim of the study?

To estimate the prevalence, muscle involvement patterns, and emotional impact of myofascial pain—especially depression—three months after head and neck cancer treatment.

How was the study conducted?

A time-bound single-center cross-sectional observational design used convenience sampling of 120 patients post-surgery or radiotherapy between April 2023 and March 2024.

What were the key findings about prevalence and depression?

Myofascial pain was present in 68.3% of participants. Depression on PHQ-9 was reported in 75.8%, and among those with myofascial pain, 85.4% showed depressive symptoms, with pain and depression positively correlated.

Which muscles were most affected by myofascial pain?

The sternocleidomastoid was most affected (55%), followed by the masseter (29.2%), trapezius (25.8%), and temporalis (15%); several other neck-related muscles were also involved.

Sep 23, 2026

Uploaded by Rhys