Shoulder Muscle Massage Shoulder Stiffness

Effects and Predictors of Effectiveness of Shoulder Muscle Massage for Patients With Posterior Shoulder Stiffness

The investigators investigated the effect and predictors of effectiveness of massage in the treatment of patients with posterior shoulder stiffness. This is a randomized controlled trial study- massage and control (hand touch) two times a week for 4 weeks. A total of 60 patients with posterior shoulder tightness were randomized into 2 groups; 52 of them completed this study (29 for the massage and 23 for the control). Patient sex, age, body mass index, glenohumeral internal rotation range of motion (ROM), duration of symptom, functional status, and muscle stiffness were recorded. Additionally, for the massage group, patients with glenohumeral internal rotation improvement of 20 degrees after massage were considered responsive, and the others were considered nonresponsive. The influences of the aftermentioned factors on the effectiveness of massage were analyzed by multivariate logistric regression. The overall mean internal rotation ROM increased significantly after massage (from 31.9° to 54.9°; P < 0.001) compared to the control (from 28.7° to 34.9°; P > 0.05). There were 22 patients in the responsive group and 7 in the nonresponsive group. Among the factors, duration of symptoms, FLEX-SF score, and posterior deltoid stiffness were significant predictors of effectiveness of massage. Massage was an effective treatment for subjects with posterior shoulder stiffness, but was less effective in patients with longer duration of symptoms, higher functional limitation, and less posterior deltoid stiffness.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Massage Effect
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: massage

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 52
• Phase: Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Taiwan
  • Taipei, Taiwan
    • National Taiwan University Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 70 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. a limited ROM of internal rotation (internal rotation ROM < 20% to the sound side), and
2. pain and stiffness in the shoulder region for at least 3 months.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. surgery on the particular shoulder,
2. rheumatoid arthritis,
3. stroke with residual shoulder involvement,
4. fracture of the shoulder complex,
5. rotator cuff deficiency, and
6. resting pain, intolerable pain, or muscle spasm during active and/or passive motion.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: posterior shoulder stiffness massage group; The inclusion criteria of patients with glenohumeral internal rotation limitation and posterior shoulder stiffness were: [1] limitation of internal rotation ROM compared to the sound side; [2] mild glenohumeral joint hypomobility according to joint play assessment; [3] stiffness in the posterior shoulder region.	Other: massage; For the massage group, a physical therapist with 8 years of clinical experience in manual therapy provided the massage on the posterior deltoid, infraspinatus, and teres minor of the involved shoulder for 18 minutes [about 6 minutes for each muscle and order was random] two times a week for 4 weeks. The techniques of massage included petrissage for 3 minutes and rolling for 3 minutes of soft tissues
Placebo Comparator: posterior shoulder stiffness placebo group	Other: massage; For the massage group, a physical therapist with 8 years of clinical experience in manual therapy provided the massage on the posterior deltoid, infraspinatus, and teres minor of the involved shoulder for 18 minutes [about 6 minutes for each muscle and order was random] two times a week for 4 weeks. The techniques of massage included petrissage for 3 minutes and rolling for 3 minutes of soft tissues

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Range of Motion	pre and post-massage

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
muscle stiffness	pre and post-massage
functional disability	pre and post-massage

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: National Taiwan University Hospital
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Jiu-jenq Lin, PhD, School of Physical Therapy, National Taiwan University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Yang JL, Chen SY, Hsieh CL, Lin JJ. Effects and predictors of shoulder muscle massage for patients with posterior shoulder tightness. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2012 Mar 27;13:46. doi: 10.1186/1471-2474-13-46.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: October 1, 2009
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 1, 2010
• Study Completion (Actual): March 1, 2011

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 25, 2009
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 30, 2009
• First Posted (Estimate): December 1, 2009

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): January 5, 2012
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 3, 2012
• Last Verified: November 1, 2011

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: massage; muscle stiffness; stiff shoulder
• Other Study ID Numbers: 200905041R