Fascial release effects on patients with non-specific cervical or lumbar pain (original) (raw)

2011, Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies

Background: Myofascial Release (MFR) and Fascial Unwinding (FU) are widely used manual fascial techniques (MFTs), generally incorporated in treatment protocols to release fascial restrictions and restore tissue mobility. However, the effects of MFT on pain perception, and the mobility of fascial layers, have not previously been investigated using dynamic ultrasound (US) in patients with neck pain (NP) and low back pain (LBP). Objectives: a) To show that US screening can be a useful tool to assess dysfunctional alteration of organ mobility in relation to their fascial layers, in people with non-specific NP or LBP, in the absence of any organ disease; b) To assess, by dynamic US screening, the change of sliding movements between superficial and deep fascia layers in the neck, in people with non-specific NP, before and after application of MFTs c) To assess, by dynamic US screening, the variation of right reno-diaphragmatic (RD) distance and of neck bladder (NB) mobility, in patients with nonspecific LBP, before and after application of MFTs d) To evaluate 'if' and 'at what degree' pain perception may vary in patients with NP or LBP, after MFTs are applied, over the short term. Methods: An Experimental group of 60 subjects, 30 with non-specific NP and 30 with nonspecific LBP, were assessed in the area of complaint, by Dynamic Ultrasound Topographic Anatomy Evaluation (D.US.T.A.-E.), before and after MFTs were applied in situ, in the corresponding painful region, for not more than 12 min. The results were compared with those from the respective Sham-Control group of 30 subjects. For the NP sub-groups, the pre-to post-US recorded videos of each subject were compared and assessed randomly and independently by two blinded experts in echographic screening. They were asked to rate the change observed in the cervical fascia sliding motions as 'none', 'discrete' or 'radical'. For the LBP sub-groups,