Blood Flow Within Active Myofascial Trigger Points Following Massage

August 30, 2017 updated by: University of Colorado, Denver
The physiological response at the myofascial trigger point (MTrP) to massage is not known, yet would provide important objective evidence for a treatment effect and clarify the resolution process of a MTrP.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The physiological response at the myofascial trigger point (MTrP) to massage is not known, yet would provide important objective evidence for a treatment effect and clarify the resolution process of a MTrP. The long-term goal is to understand how therapeutic intervention affects the physiology of the MTrP. The objective of the proposed research is to assess, in a placebo controlled trial, the effectiveness of trigger point release massage (also known as ischemic compression) on blood flow at an active MTrP. The central hypothesis is that the contraction nodule of an active MTrP is characterized by an ischemic state comprised of reduced blood flow and subsequent dysregulation in carbohydrate metabolism. The investigators hypothesize that trigger point release (TPR) can positively impact blood flow leading to a change in high energy carbohydrate tension. The present study has been formulated, in part, from a preliminary study conducted by the investigators, which supports reduced blood flow and physiological disruption at active MTrPs. The proposed research will provide a physiological basis for massage to corroborate subjective reports of reduced pain sensitivity, impart credibility to treatment techniques, and provide insight into a mechanism of action for healing the MTrP.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

28

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Colorado
      • Aurora, Colorado, United States, 80045
        • University of Colorado Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

21 years to 49 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Chronic or episodic tension-type headache
  • active MTrP in upper trapezius
  • age 21-49
  • BMI between 18.5-24.9
  • either gender
  • any race or ethnicity

Exclusion Criteria:

  • No or latent MTrP in the upper trapezius
  • migraine 4+/month
  • cluster headache
  • fibromyalgia
  • neurological disease (e.g. Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis)
  • cardiovascular disease (e.g. prior heart attack or stroke)
  • diabetes
  • pregnancy
  • a bleeding disorder (Self-report of hemophilia, known lack/deficiency of clotting factors, or presently °taking anti-coagulants (e.g. warfarin, Coumadin))
  • narcotic use
  • currently receiving massage
  • prior trigger point injection or needling therapies
  • allergy to lidocaine-type anesthetics such as lidocaine and prilocaine

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Trigger point treatment
Trigger point release
Other: Trigger point release
Trigger point therapy
Sham Comparator: Ultrasound
Sham US at Trigger point
Other: Ultrasound
sham ultrasound

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Change in Blood Flow as measured by microdialysis
Time Frame: 1 hr pre intervention and 1 hr post intervention
1 hr pre intervention and 1 hr post intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Change in Glucose as measured by microdialysis
Time Frame: 1 hr pre intervention and 1 hr post intervention
1 hr pre intervention and 1 hr post intervention
Change in Lactate as measured by microdialysis
Time Frame: 1 hr pre intervention and 1 hr post intervention
1 hr pre intervention and 1 hr post intervention
Change in Pyruvate as measured by microdialysis
Time Frame: 1 hr pre intervention and 1 hr post intervention
1 hr pre intervention and 1 hr post intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Colorado, Denver

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Albert Moraska, PhD, University of Colorado, Denver

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

March 1, 2015

Primary Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2016

Study Completion (Actual)

January 1, 2017

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 2, 2015

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 9, 2015

First Posted (Estimate)

March 17, 2015

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

September 1, 2017

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 30, 2017

Last Verified

August 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 14-1582
  • UL1TR001082 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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