Comparative Effects of Mulligan Mobilization With and Without Myofascial Release Technique in Management of Post Traumatic Elbow Stiffness
Study Overview
Status
Status
Conditions
Conditions
Intervention / Treatment
Intervention / Treatment
Detailed Description
Study Type
Study Type
Enrollment (Estimated)
Enrollment
Phase
Phase
- Not Applicable
Contacts and Locations
Study Contact
Study Contact
- Name: Maryam Safdar Dr, MS Physical Therapy (MSK)
- Phone Number: +92-3217978088
- Email: maryamsafdar.DPT@tuf.edu.pk
Study Contact Backup
- Name: Dr Muhammad Ateeb, PhD Public Health
- Phone Number: +92-3357333383
- Email: mateeb.oric@tuf.edu.pk
Study Locations
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Punjab Province
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Faisalābad, Punjab Province, Pakistan, 38000
- Outdoor Patient Department (OPD) of Madinah Teaching Hospital and Chiniot General Hospital, Faisalabad.
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Participation Criteria
Eligibility Criteria
Eligibility Criteria
Ages Eligible for Study
- Child
- Adult
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Description
Inclusion Criteria:
- Participants aged between 17 and 44 years will be included in the study (Sun et al., 2025).
- Both male and female patients experiencing mild to moderate elbow pain (3/10 to 5/10 on NPRS) along with restricted range of motion will be eligible (Zulfqar et al., 2021).
- Subjects having elbow movement limitation of more than 30° in extension, flexion less than 120°, and 50° restriction in both pronation and supination will be included (Masci et al., 2020).
- Participants will be recruited 3 to 6 weeks after POP removal, and radiographic confirmation of bone/skeletal healing will be ensured before inclusion (Morrey et al., 2017).
- Patients with both intra-articular and extra-articular fractures will be considered eligible.
- Individuals with DASH scores ranging from 45 to 50 points will be included.
- Only patients willing to participate in the study will be enrolled.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Patients with a history of previous surgical excision will be excluded from the study (Zheng et al., 2018).
- Participants presenting with pathological fractures will not be included (Zulfqar et al., 2021).
- Patients in the acute stage of fracture will be excluded from participation (Zulfqar et al., 2021).
- Individuals with metabolic or malignant conditions causing elbow stiffness, such as gout or osteosarcoma, will not be eligible (Fusaro et al., 2014).
- Patients with elbow fractures associated with a history of metal implants will be excluded (Zheng et al., 2018).
- Individuals who have already received physiotherapy treatment or medication for the condition will not be included.
- Patients diagnosed with psychological illnesses that may interfere with following instructions will be excluded.
- Participants with brain trauma or referred neurological symptoms, including numbness, dizziness, or hyperesthesia, will not be considered (Fusaro et al., 2014).
- Patients with structural or postural abnormalities involving the shoulder or wrist will be excluded.
- Individuals with open skin wounds or burn injuries around the affected area will not be included.
- Patients with a pre-operative history of arthritis will also be excluded from the study.
Study Plan
How is the study designed?
Design Details
- Primary Purpose: Treatment
- Allocation: Randomized
- Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
- Masking: Single
Number of Arms
Arms and Interventions
Participant Group / ArmParticipant Group / Arm |
Intervention / TreatmentIntervention / Treatment |
|---|---|
|
Experimental: Group A (Mulligan Mobilization with Myofascial Release Technique)
Participants in Group A will receive a structured treatment program including Mulligan mobilization along with myofascial release techniques aimed at reducing pain, improving functional disability, and enhancing elbow range of motion.
Each session will last 40-45 minutes and will be administered three times per week for four weeks.
|
The patient will be positioned supine at the edge of the table with the shoulder abducted to 90°, elbow flexed, and forearm supinated.
The therapist will stabilize the distal humerus and use a belt around the pelvis while applying a sustained glide through the forearm.
Active elbow flexion/extension will be performed with gentle, pain-free overpressure at end range.
The technique will be repeated 6-10 times for 1-3 sets with 15-second rest intervals.
Myofascial release will be applied with the patient supine, elbow slightly flexed and forearm pronated.
The therapist will treat from lateral epicondyle to wrist extensors while the patient performs small elbow movements.
Both groups will receive a hot pack application for 20 minutes as a baseline treatment prior to the intervention, followed by static stretching after the session.
Each stretch will be performed for 10 repetitions, with a 30-second hold and a 15-second rest interval between stretches.
|
|
Active Comparator: Group B (Mulligan Mobilization alone)
Participants in Group B will be treated with Mulligan Mobilization alone to help reduce pain and improve elbow range of motion.
The intervention will be delivered in 40-45 minute sessions, three times per week, for four consecutive weeks.
|
The patient will be positioned supine at the edge of the table with the shoulder abducted to 90°, elbow flexed, and forearm supinated.
The therapist will stabilize the distal humerus and use a belt around the pelvis while applying a sustained glide through the forearm.
Active elbow flexion/extension will be performed with gentle, pain-free overpressure at end range.
The technique will be repeated 6-10 times for 1-3 sets with 15-second rest intervals.
Both groups will receive a hot pack application for 20 minutes as a baseline treatment prior to the intervention, followed by static stretching after the session.
Each stretch will be performed for 10 repetitions, with a 30-second hold and a 15-second rest interval between stretches.
|
What is the study measuring?
Primary Outcome Measures
Primary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
|
Elbow pain
Time Frame: Baseline and week 4
|
The Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) is an 11-point scale used to assess pain intensity.
The scale ranges from 0, indicating no pain, to 10, representing the worst imaginable pain.
It is considered a reliable and valid tool for evaluating changes in pain severity over time
|
Baseline and week 4
|
|
Elbow range of motion
Time Frame: Baseline and week 4
|
The universal goniometer is a reliable and effective instrument commonly used to assess elbow joint range of motion
|
Baseline and week 4
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Secondary Outcome Measures
Secondary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
|
Functional disability
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 4
|
The DASH questionnaire is designed to evaluate upper limb function and related symptoms.
It assesses the level of difficulty an individual experiences while performing daily activities involving the arm, shoulder, and hand due to pain, weakness, or movement limitations.
The questionnaire contains 30 items, and scores range from 0 (no disability) to 100 (maximum disability), with higher scores indicating greater functional impairment
|
Baseline and Week 4
|
Collaborators and Investigators
Sponsor
Sponsor
Investigators
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Dr Maryam Safdar, The University of Faisalabad
Publications and helpful links
General Publications
- Pourahmadi MR, Mohsenifar H, Dariush M, Aftabi A, Amiri A. Effectiveness of mobilization with movement (Mulligan concept techniques) on low back pain: a systematic review. Clin Rehabil. 2018 Oct;32(10):1289-1298. doi: 10.1177/0269215518778321. Epub 2018 May 30.
- Kain J, Martorello L, Swanson E, Sego S. Comparison of an indirect tri-planar myofascial release (MFR) technique and a hot pack for increasing range of motion. J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2011 Jan;15(1):63-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2009.12.002. Epub 2010 Jan 27.
- Masci G, Cazzato G, Milano G, Ciolli G, Malerba G, Perisano C, Greco T, Osvaldo P, Maccauro G, Liuzza F. The stiff elbow: Current concepts. Orthop Rev (Pavia). 2020 Jun 25;12(Suppl 1):8661. doi: 10.4081/or.2020.8661. eCollection 2020 Jun 29.
- Zhang D, Nazarian A, Rodriguez EK. Post-traumatic elbow stiffness: Pathogenesis and current treatments. Shoulder Elbow. 2020 Feb;12(1):38-45. doi: 10.1177/1758573218793903. Epub 2018 Aug 8.
- Sevik Kacmaz K, Unver B. Immediate Effects of Mulligan Mobilization on Elbow Proprioception in Healthy Individuals: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Single-Blind Study. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2023 Jan;46(1):59-64. doi: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2023.05.001. Epub 2023 Jul 7.
- Birinci T, Razak Ozdincler A, Altun S, Kural C. A structured exercise programme combined with proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation stretching or static stretching in posttraumatic stiffness of the elbow: a randomized controlled trial. Clin Rehabil. 2019 Feb;33(2):241-252. doi: 10.1177/0269215518802886. Epub 2018 Oct 10.
- van Rijn SF, Zwerus EL, Koenraadt KL, Jacobs WC, van den Bekerom MP, Eygendaal D. The reliability and validity of goniometric elbow measurements in adults: A systematic review of the literature. Shoulder Elbow. 2018 Oct;10(4):274-284. doi: 10.1177/1758573218774326. Epub 2018 Jun 3.
- Zheng W, Liu J, Song J, Fan C. Risk factors for development of severe post-traumatic elbow stiffness. Int Orthop. 2018 Mar;42(3):595-600. doi: 10.1007/s00264-017-3657-1. Epub 2017 Oct 7.
- Young I, Dunning J, Mourad F, Escaloni J, Bliton P, Fernandez-de-Las-Penas C. Clinimetric analysis of the numeric pain rating scale, patient-rated tennis elbow evaluation, and tennis elbow function scale in patients with lateral elbow tendinopathy. Physiother Theory Pract. 2025 Aug;41(8):1712-1720. doi: 10.1080/09593985.2025.2450090. Epub 2025 Jan 10.
- Sun Z, Li J, van Riet R, Ho PC, Hildebrand KA, Puah KL, Shih JT, Li Z, Chanlalit C, Kekatpure AL, Zhang K, Liu S, Gong M, Huang F, Yan H, Mi J, Lu J, Zha Y, Xiang Z, Xiang M, Li F, Jiang S, Liu W, Zhong B, Ding J, Ruan H, Ouyang Y, Wang W, Yu S, Chen S, Qian Y, Xu Y, Hu Y, Xu J, Jiang X, Jeon IH, Fan C. Clinical guideline on the open arthrolysis for post-traumatic elbow stiffness in adult patients. J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2026 Mar;35(3):811-825. doi: 10.1016/j.jse.2025.07.015. Epub 2025 Aug 25.
- Ling SK, Lui TH, Faan YS, Lui PW, Ngai WK. Post-traumatic elbow rotational stiffness. Shoulder Elbow. 2014 Apr;6(2):119-23. doi: 10.1177/1758573214524935. Epub 2014 Mar 3.
- He X, Fen Q, Yang J, Lei Y, Heng L, Zhang K. Risk Factors of Elbow Stiffness After Open Reduction and Internal Fixation of the Terrible Triad of the Elbow Joint. Orthop Surg. 2021 Apr;13(2):530-536. doi: 10.1111/os.12879. Epub 2021 Feb 22.
- Fusaro I, Orsini S, Stignani Kantar S, Sforza T, Benedetti MG, Bettelli G, Rotini R. Elbow rehabilitation in traumatic pathology. Musculoskelet Surg. 2014 Apr;98 Suppl 1:95-102. doi: 10.1007/s12306-014-0328-x. Epub 2014 Mar 25.
- Fan M, Xu F, Fei C, Liu Y, Yang Z, Song Z. Post-traumatic elbow stiffness: etiology, risk factors and current treatments. Front Surg. 2025 Aug 26;12:1643326. doi: 10.3389/fsurg.2025.1643326. eCollection 2025.
- Akhtar A, Hughes B, Watts AC. The post-traumatic stiff elbow: A review. J Clin Orthop Trauma. 2021 May 19;19:125-131. doi: 10.1016/j.jcot.2021.05.006. eCollection 2021 Aug.
Study record dates
Study Major Dates
Study Start (Estimated)
Study Start
Primary Completion (Estimated)
Primary Completion
Study Completion (Estimated)
Study Completion
Study Registration Dates
First Submitted
First Submitted
First Submitted That Met QC Criteria
First Submitted That Met QC Criteria
First Posted (Actual)
First Posted
Study Record Updates
Last Update Posted (Actual)
Last Update Posted
Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria
Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria
Last Verified
Last Verified
More Information
Terms related to this study
Keywords
Additional Relevant MeSH Terms
Other Study ID Numbers
Other Study ID Numbers
- TUF/EIRB/179/26
Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)
Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?
Drug and device information, study documents
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product
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