Effects of fascial releasing on pain and quality of life in patients with cervical and upper thoracic myofascial trigger point

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of myofascial release techniques compared to sham on pain, pressure threshold, movement range and quality of life in patients with cervical and upper thoracic trigger points. A total of 75 subjects with a mean age of 43,10±13,04 in study group and 43,15±12,52 in control group were included in the study. Subjects were randomly divided into two groups as study group (n = 37) and control group (n = 38). Myofascial release and sham application were performed twice a week with 30 minute sessions for 4 weeks. Algometer, visual analog scale, range of motion, neck disability index and global perceived effect scale were used for assessment. Measurements were repeated 3 times at baseline, 4 weeks later and 12 weeks later. There was a significant difference between pre-test post-test in favor of the study group in terms of visual analog scale, range of motion, neck disability index scores (p <0.05). There was no significant difference between post-test and follow up (p> 0.05). There was no significant difference between pre-test post-test of algometer between the groups (p>0.05). There was a significant increase in favor of the study group between post-test and follow up (p<0.05). According to global perceived effect scale there were significantly more subjects reported recovery compared to control group (p <0.05). In this study, it was found that myofascial release methods were effective in reducing pain, increasing range of motion and pressure pain threshold and decreasing disability level in non-specific neck pain. The effects of the application were observed within 4 weeks and the effectiveness of the treatment was found to be preserved in the 12th week follow-up assessment. It would be useful to choose because it is safe and easy to apply technique. Keywords: Pain, Neck, Manual therapy, Myofascial releasing