The Impact of Myofascial Therapy on Connective Tissue
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Completed
- Sponsor
- Enrollment
- 295
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- The thickness of the deep and superficial fascia.
Study Overview
Brief Summary
The study involved patients who suffered from myofascial pain caused occupational or sports overloads or muscle strains caused by sports or improper preparation for physical activity. The patients had not been previously treated for this reason. The only form of therapy was self-administered over-the-counter painkillers and ointments. Due to lack of relief, patients received one of two types of treatments, myofascial therapy or deep tissue massage. Each group was divided into three subgroups, depending on the location of the symptoms: arm, forearm, calf. The patients received three treatments on alternate days. Ultrasound imaging examination was performed by a physiotherapist, qualified to assess soft tissues using an USG. Two measurements were taken, before and seven days after therapy. To standardise the assessment, ultrasound imaging protocol was used.
The thickness of the fascia was measured by ImageJ software. The aim of the study was an ultrasound imaging assessment of connective tissue of patients undergone myofascial therapy.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Intervention Model
- Parallel
- Primary Purpose
- Basic Science
- Masking
- Triple (Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 18 Years to 60 Years (Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria
- •undergone myofascial therapy
- •undergone deep tissue massage
- •patients with pain of musculoskeletal origin
- •without contraindications to myofascial therapy
- •without neurological diseases
- •voluntary consent to participate in the study
Exclusion Criteria
- •resignation from the study
- •lack of patient consent
- •disturbed continuity of skin tissue at the examination site
- •previous surgical procedures at the study site
- •large vascular changes
- •inflammatory changes in the examined areas of the body
- •sensory disturbances in the examined body areas
- •resignation from therapy
- •changing the type of therapy
Arms & Interventions
Myofascial therapy
Intervention: Myofascial therapy (Procedure)
Deep Tissue Massage
Intervention: Deep Tissue Massage (Procedure)
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
The thickness of the deep and superficial fascia.
Time Frame: From enrollment to the 7 days after last therapy.
To assessed the thickness of the deep and superficial fascia, ultrasound imaging examination (USG) was performed by qualified physiotherapist. Two measurements were taken, before and seven days after therapy. Philips Affiniti 70G ultrasound device with linear probe (2-15 MHz) was used. To standardize the assessment, ultrasound imaging protocol described by Pirri et al. 2022 was used. To obtain more accurate results, the ultrasound image of the examined tissue was placed in the ImageJ ver. 1.54 software to assess the fascia thickness in millimetres.
Secondary Outcomes
- Pain level(From enrollment to the 7 days after last therapy.)
Investigators
Adrian Rogala
Principal Investigator
Józef Piłsudski University of Physical Education