RESUMEN
UNLABELLED: Projective and reflex zones of inner organs to the body's surface are well described but there are only few clinical studies about abnormal zones. OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to investigate associations between chronic irritation of tonsils, abnormalities of the connective tissue areas over the musculus trapezius and the severity of brachialgia paresthetica nocturna. METHODS: Cross sectional study in 100 adult pain patients from an outpatient pain department. Patients with tonsillectomy were excluded. Examinations of tonsils and the connective tissue area were done separately by two mutually blinded physicians. Both were also blinded to the patients' evaluation of his/her brachialgia. RESULTS: Regardless of the lateralization, the severity of the tonsil irritations was correlated with the abnormalities of the connective tissue areas (Spearman's rho = 0.82; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.74-0.87; p < 0.001) and the severity of the brachialgia (rho = 0.64, CI: 0.50-0.74; p < 0.001), furthermore indurations of connective tissue areas correlated with the severity of brachialgia homolaterally (rho = 0.57; CI: 0.42-0.69; p < 0.001). These correlations are considerably higher than those of other connective tissue areas. CONCLUSIONS: The results support the existence of easy to diagnose reflex zones, at least in a highly selected population of pain patients. They can give plausible hints for naturopathic treatments of brachialgia paresthetica nocturna, i.e. treatment of the relevant connective tissue zone above the M. trapezius.