Global hotspots and trends in Myofascial Pain Syndrome research from 1956 to 2022: A bibliometric analysis

Myofascial Pain Syndrome (MPS) is a prevalent disease, and the related literature research has been increasing in recent years. However, there is a lack of scientific and comprehensive bibliometric analyses in the MPS research field. This study aimed to summarize and visualize the literature distribution laws, research hotspots and development trends in MPS based on bibliometric methods. Relevant literature on MPS research from 1956 to 2022 was retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database. Quantitative and visual analyses of the collected literature were performed using Microsoft Office 2021, Bibliometrics, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace. A total of 1099 papers were included, and the number of papers in this research field is generally upward. The USA has the most publications (270), and Univ Sao Paulo is the institution with the most publications (31). Hong CZ and Calvo-Lobo C have the same number of publications and are the authors with the most publications (20), and Simons DG is the author with the most co-citations (1078). Journal of Musculoskeletal Pain is the journal with the most publications (61), and Pain is the journal with the most co-cited papers (2598) and the highest impact factor (7.926). Lidocaine injection versus dry needling to myofascial trigger point. The importance of the local twitch response is the reference with the highest number of co-citations (136). The top 5 keywords in this period are myofascial pain syndrome (571), trigger points (218), pain (97), myofascial pain (92), and myofascial trigger point (80). The keywords of recent bursts are dry needling (2016–2022), efficacy (2020–2022), validity (2020–2022), temporomandibular joint disorder (2020–2022), and orofacial pain (2020–2022). This study summarizes and visualizes the evolution, research hotspots, and future trends of the global MPS domain from 1956 to 2022. It is helpful for scholars to understand the general situation of MPS research quickly and provide a reference for clinical decision-making and future research directions.