Prof. Dr. César Fernández de las Peñas
Cesar Fernandez-de-las-Peñas is a Physical Therapist, Clinical Researcher and Professor
of at the Department of Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Rehabilitation and
Physical Medicine, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Alcorcón, Madrid, Spain where he is the
head division of a research group focused on clinical pain sciences. He has 15 years of
experience in clinical practice in a Pain Clinic focused on manual approaches for the
management of chronic pain. He conducted his PhD in biomedical Sciences in the
Centre for Sensory Motor Interaction (SMI) in Aalborg University (Denmark) and a
second PhD in Physical Therapy at the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (Spain). He also gets
the Doctoral Degree in Medical Sciences in 2012 at Aalborg University (Denmark). His
research activities are concentrated on biomedical sciences within neuroscience. The
specific research areas have been on pain and assessment of pain in individuals with
chronic pain. The main focus is on human clinical chronic pain research. He has
published around 300 scientific publications and he is first author of approximately 150
of them. Most papers are concentrated on neck pain, headache, carpal tunnel
syndrome, lateral epicondylgia and neurophysiological effects of manual/hand therapy.
He has been invited in 50 conferences giving lectures around the world.
Recent ‘myofascial’ publications:
Prevalence of Myofascial Trigger Points in Spinal Disorders: A Systematic Review and
Meta-Analysis.
Chiarotto A, Clijsen R, Fernandez-de-Las-Penas C, Barbero M.
Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2015 Oct 17.
Neuroscience education in addition to trigger point dry needling for the management of
patients with mechanical chronic low back pain: A preliminary clinical trial.
Téllez-García M, de-la-Llave-Rincón AI, Salom-Moreno J, Palacios-Ceña M, Ortega-Santiago R,
Fernández-de-Las-Peñas C.
J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2015 Jul;19(3):464-72.
Association between muscle trigger points, ongoing pain, function, and sleep quality in
elderly women with bilateral painful knee osteoarthritis.
Alburquerque-García A, Rodrigues-de-Souza DP, Fernández-de-las-Peñas C, AlburquerqueSendín F.
J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2015 May;38(4):262-8.
Trigger points and pressure pain hypersensitivity in people with postmeniscectomy pain.
Torres-Chica B, Núñez-Samper-Pizarroso C, Ortega-Santiago R, Cleland JA, Salom-Moreno J,
Laguarta-Val S, Fernández-de-las-Peñas C.
Clin J Pain. 2015 Mar;31(3):265-72.
Myofascial trigger points: peripheral or central phenomenon?
Fernández-de-las-Peñas C, Dommerholt J.
Curr Rheumatol Rep. 2014 Jan;16(1):395.
Myofascial trigger points, pain, disability, and sleep quality in patients with chronic
nonspecific low back pain.
Iglesias-González JJ, Muñoz-García MT, Rodrigues-de-Souza DP, Alburquerque-Sendín F,
Fernández-de-Las-Peñas C.
Pain Med. 2013 Dec;14(12):1964-70.
Efficacy of thrust and nonthrust manipulation and exercise with or without the addition
of myofascial therapy for the management of acute inversion ankle sprain: a
randomized clinical trial.
Truyols-Domí Nguez S, Salom-Moreno J, Abian-Vicen J, Cleland JA, Fernández-de-Las-Peñas C.
J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2013 May;43(5):300-9.
Myofascial trigger points in the masticatory muscles in patients with and without
chronic mechanical neck pain.
De-la-Llave-Rincon AI, Alonso-Blanco C, Gil-Crujera A, Ambite-Quesada S, Svensson P,
Fernández-de-Las-Peñas C.
J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2012 Nov-Dec;35(9):678-84.
Myofascial trigger points, pain, disability, and sleep quality in individuals with
mechanical neck pain.
Muñoz-Muñoz S, Muñoz-García MT, Alburquerque-Sendín F, Arroyo-Morales M, Fernández-delas-Peñas C.
J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2012 Oct;35(8):608-13.
Effectiveness of water physical therapy on pain, pressure pain sensitivity, and
myofascial trigger points in breast cancer survivors: a randomized, controlled clinical
trial.
Cantarero-Villanueva I, Fernández-Lao C, Fernández-de-Las-Peñas C, López-Barajas IB, DelMoral-Ávila R, de la-Llave-Rincón AI, Arroyo-Morales M.
Pain Med. 2012 Nov;13(11):1509-19.
Characteristics of referred muscle pain to the head from active trigger points in women
with myofascial temporomandibular pain and fibromyalgia syndrome.
Alonso-Blanco C, Fernández-de-Las-Peñas C, de-la-Llave-Rincón AI, Zarco-Moreno P, Galán-DelRío F, Svensson P.
J Headache Pain. 2012 Nov;13(8):625-37.
Muscle trigger points, pressure pain threshold, and cervical range of motion in patients
with high level of disability related to acute whiplash injury.
Fernández-Pérez AM, Villaverde-Gutiérrez C, Mora-Sánchez A, Alonso-Blanco C, Sterling M,
Fernández-de-Las-Peñas C.
J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2012 Jul;42(7):634-41.
Referred pain from myofascial trigger points in head, neck, shoulder, and arm muscles
reproduces pain symptoms in blue-collar (manual) and white-collar (office) workers.
Fernández-de-las-Peñas C, Gröbli C, Ortega-Santiago R, Fischer CS, Boesch D, Froidevaux P,
Stocker L, Weissmann R, González-Iglesias J.
Clin J Pain. 2012 Jul;28(6):511-8.
Development of active myofascial trigger points in neck and shoulder musculature is
similar after lumpectomy or mastectomy surgery for breast cancer.
Fernández-Lao C, Cantarero-Villanueva I, Fernández-de-Las-Peñas C, Del-Moral-Ávila R, MenjónBeltrán S, Arroyo-Morales M.
J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2012 Apr;16(2):183-90.
Muscle trigger point therapy in tension-type headache.
Alonso-Blanco C, de-la-Llave-Rincón AI, Fernández-de-las-Peñas C.
Expert Rev Neurother. 2012 Mar;12(3):315-22.
Ask the Experts: Myofascial pain management: diagnosis, treatment options and
challenges.
Fernández-de-Las-Peñas C.
Pain Manag. 2012 Mar;2(2):113-5.