Efficiency of Muscle Energy Techniques

NCT ID: NCT05573594

Last Updated: 2022-10-10

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 40 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2017-02-10
• Study Completion Date: 2018-02-10

Brief Summary

Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate the efficiency of the Muscle Energy Technique in female patients with mechanical low back pain.

Methods: A total of 40 female participants aged 30-45 were randomly divided into two groups (Study Group and Control Group). Control group participants were under 10 sessions conventional physical therapy and rehabilitation (TENS, US, hot pack) and performed standard home exercises. Study Group participants were under 8 sessions muscle energy technique in addition to conventional physical therapy and standard home exercises. Pain (Visual Analog Scale-VAS), spinal mobility (Modify Schober Test-MST), flexibility (Fingertip Floor Distance-FFD, Right and Left Lateral Flexion Floor Distance-LFFD), quality of life (Nottingham Health Profile-NHP), disability (Oswestry Disability Index-ODI), kinesiofobia (Tampa Kinesiofobia Scale-TKS) and depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory-BDI) were measured at baseline, after the treatment and 3th months.

Detailed Description

There are many epidemiological and statistical studies showing the high incidence and prevalence of low back pain, which is a common problem all over the world (Manga et al 1993). Mechanical causes constitute 90% of the factors that cause low back pain (Diamond and Borenstein 2006).

Mechanical Low Back Pain (MLBP) is musculoskeletal pain of soft tissue origin that can be seen in the posterior lumbal region, sacral region or paraspinal region. MLBP, which is characterized by tendonitis, trigger points and muscle spasms, increases with movement and decreases with rest.

Muscle Energy Technique (MET) is a manual therapeutic procedure that creates voluntary contractions in skeletal muscles by creating force against the practitioner by the patient. MET is used to lengthen shortened muscles, mobilize restricted joints, and strengthen physiologically weakened muscles (Chaitow 2013).

Treatment methods generally applied to patients diagnosed with MLBP; physical therapy modalities, manual techniques, exercise therapy, medical therapy, psychological therapy and patient education. It is recommended that MET be used to reduce pain when administered to the spine (Wilson 2003) or muscles (Ballantyne et al. 2003).

The aim of our study is to investigate the efficiency of Muscle Energy Technique on spinal mobility, flexibility, pain, disability, fear avoidance behavior, quality of life and depressive symptoms in female patients with mechanical low back pain.

Conditions

Mechanical Low Back Pain

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

MET Group

the participants in the study group were under 8 sessions of MET, 2 times a week, in addition to the conventional physiotherapy program.

In the content of conventional physiotherapy program for both groups; Hot Pack (20 min), Ultrasound (ITO brand 1 MHz and 1.5 W/cm2, 5 min), Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS, 50-100 Hz, 20 min) and standard home exercises were included. The program went 5 times a week, 10 consecutive sessions. Each session lasted an average of 45 minutes.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Muscle Energy Technique

Intervention Type: OTHER

The Janda method (Post isometric relaxation PIR Technique), one of the Muscle Energy Techniques, was used on m.piriformis, m.quadratus lumborum, m.hamstring, m.psoas major muscles in the study group. First, the dysfunctional muscle was stretched passively by the physiotherapist up to the movement barrier, and 5-7 seconds of isometric muscle contraction in the opposite direction was requested from the patient at the barrier. This practice was continued until muscle tension or joint dysfunction disappeared.

All participants performed standard home exercises consisting of stretching and strengthening. These exercises were taught to the participants by the physiotherapist in the first treatment session, and when they came to each treatment session, it was questioned whether they did it or not, and a control chart was created for exercise follow-up.

conventional physical therapy and rehabilitation

Intervention Type: OTHER

In the content of conventional physiotherapy program for both groups; Hot Pack (20 min), Ultrasound (ITO brand 1 MHz and 1.5 W/cm2, 5 min), Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS, 50-100 Hz, 20 min) and standard home exercises were included. The program went 5 times a week, 10 consecutive sessions. Each session lasted an average of 45 minutes.

Control Group

In this study, the participants in the control group were under conventional physiotherapy program for 5 times a week, a total of 10 sessions

In the content of conventional physiotherapy program for both groups; Hot Pack (20 min), Ultrasound (ITO brand 1 MHz and 1.5 W/cm2, 5 min), Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS, 50-100 Hz, 20 min) and standard home exercises were included. The program went 5 times a week, 10 consecutive sessions. Each session lasted an average of 45 minutes

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

conventional physical therapy and rehabilitation

Intervention Type: OTHER

In the content of conventional physiotherapy program for both groups; Hot Pack (20 min), Ultrasound (ITO brand 1 MHz and 1.5 W/cm2, 5 min), Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS, 50-100 Hz, 20 min) and standard home exercises were included. The program went 5 times a week, 10 consecutive sessions. Each session lasted an average of 45 minutes.

Interventions

Muscle Energy Technique

The Janda method (Post isometric relaxation PIR Technique), one of the Muscle Energy Techniques, was used on m.piriformis, m.quadratus lumborum, m.hamstring, m.psoas major muscles in the study group. First, the dysfunctional muscle was stretched passively by the physiotherapist up to the movement barrier, and 5-7 seconds of isometric muscle contraction in the opposite direction was requested from the patient at the barrier. This practice was continued until muscle tension or joint dysfunction disappeared.

All participants performed standard home exercises consisting of stretching and strengthening. These exercises were taught to the participants by the physiotherapist in the first treatment session, and when they came to each treatment session, it was questioned whether they did it or not, and a control chart was created for exercise follow-up.

Intervention Type: OTHER

conventional physical therapy and rehabilitation

In the content of conventional physiotherapy program for both groups; Hot Pack (20 min), Ultrasound (ITO brand 1 MHz and 1.5 W/cm2, 5 min), Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS, 50-100 Hz, 20 min) and standard home exercises were included. The program went 5 times a week, 10 consecutive sessions. Each session lasted an average of 45 minutes.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• being a volunteer female between the ages of 30 and 45
• having a complaint of low back pain for at least 3 months with the diagnosis of mechanical low back pain

Exclusion Criteria

• having previous spinal surgery
• having radicular type low back pain
• having neuromuscular disease

• Minimum Eligible Age: 30 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 45 Years
• Eligible Sex: FEMALE
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Bulent Ecevit University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Sanem ŞENER

Principal Investigator

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University

Zonguldak, Kozlu, Turkey (Türkiye)

Countries

Turkey (Türkiye)

References

Diamond S, Borenstein D. Chronic low back pain in a working-age adult. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2006 Aug;20(4):707-20. doi: 10.1016/j.berh.2006.04.002.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 16979534 (View on PubMed)

Fryer G, Pearce AJ. The effect of muscle energy technique on corticospinal and spinal reflex excitability in asymptomatic participants. J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2013 Oct;17(4):440-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2013.05.006. Epub 2013 May 30.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 24139001 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

PIR

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id