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A novel physical therapy method of treating myofascial pain due to muscle spasm and shortening
Aleksiev AR
Folia Medica 2013 Apr-Jun;55(2):43-50
clinical trial
3/10 [Eligibility criteria: Yes; Random allocation: Yes; Concealed allocation: No; Baseline comparability: No; Blind subjects: No; Blind therapists: No; Blind assessors: No; Adequate follow-up: No; Intention-to-treat analysis: No; Between-group comparisons: Yes; Point estimates and variability: Yes. Note: Eligibility criteria item does not contribute to total score] *This score has been confirmed*

AIM: Evaluation of the effect of a novel physical therapy method -- post-isometric relaxation taping (PIR-taping) -- compared with the effect of a conventional postisometric relaxation (PIR) in the treatment of outpatients with myofascial pain as a result of muscle spasm and shortening of static muscles, resulting in muscle imbalance. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study recruited 320 outpatients with myofascial pain due to muscle spasm and shortening, resulting in muscle imbalance in one of 8 kinetic segments. We treated randomly 8 groups of 20 patients by PIR and 8 matched groups by PIR-taping. The treatment consisted of one procedure daily (PIR or PIR-taping) with duration of 10 minutes for 10 working days. The pain was assessed by a visual analogue scale before and after each procedure. RESULTS: The pain decreased significantly after the treatment course in each group (p < 0.05), but no difference was found between any pair of groups (p > 0.05). The pain before the next PIR procedure tended to increase in comparison with the pain after a previous one, unlike the pain in PIR-taping treatment which tended to decrease. Pain intensity after PIR procedure decreased significantly compared with the pain after a previous one (p < 0.05), while in PIR-taping -- after two previous procedures (p < 0.05). Treatment with PIR increased pain significantly during the weekends (p < 0.05), while in treatment with PIR-taping the pain decreased insignificantly during the weekends (p > 0.05). The pain reduced significantly after PIR procedure (p < 0.05), as well as after PIR-taping procedure (p < 0.05). The pain after PIR procedure was significantly lower than that after PIR-taping procedure (p < 0.05), although the pain before PIR procedure was statistically equal with the one before PIR-taping procedure (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Despite the better short-term effect of PIR versus PIR-taping, there was no difference between the final results of both methods, due to the continuous (24-hour) effect of PIR-taping.

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