Effect of Massage Therapy on Muscle Fatigue

Effect of Massage Therapy on Muscle Fatigue in Individuals With Low Back Pain: Physiological or Clinical Changes

The main objective of the current proposal is to investigate the clinical and physiological changes triggered by massage therapy in a group of individuals with chronic low back pain experiencing muscular fatigue.

The investigators believe these objectives are in line with the "2014 Massage Therapy Research Fund research priorities", since the results produced by these investigations will generate knowledge with regard to the short term clinical efficacy of massage therapy and will provide critical information related to the physiological mechanisms underlying massage therapy clinical effects. Most importantly, the combined assessment of clinical and physiological outcomes will also yield key information to identify specific biological components of the massage therapy intervention. Determining the presence of a biological mechanism is, as for any treatment, considered one of the necessary criteria to declare a causal relationship between a specific intervention and its associated clinical effects. The investigators strongly believe that the proposed research will contribute to the identification of specific mechanisms that will complement the emerging clinical evidence supporting massage therapy in the treatment of chronic low back pain.

The proposed research project will involve researchers and future practitioners of massage therapy. In conjunction with a high quality research environment, it is the goal of the investigators to create an educational environment for undergraduate and graduate students that will foster interdisciplinary collaboration in order to ensure a diversified; high quality training of young researchers and clinician scientists working in the field of manual therapies.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Low Back Pain
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Massage

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 36
• Phase: Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Non specific low back pain

Exclusion Criteria:

• Low back pain of specific origin including but not limited to:

herniated disk fractures spondylolisthesis

• inflammatory rheumatic disease
• infectious disease
• neuromuscular disease
• vascular disease
• connective tissue disease
• severe disabling pain
• neurologic signs and symptoms
• pregnancy

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Massage; Massage therapy of the lumbar muscles in a prone position during 30 minutes	Other: Massage; Massage therapy localized to the back of the individuals for a duration of 30 minutes
No Intervention: Control; Rest during 5 minutes in a prone position

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Median frequency slope of the lumbar muscles (Hz/s)	Fatigue will be assess during a extensor muscle endurance task throught surface electromyography electrodes (the more the slope value is negative and high, the more the muscle presents an important fatigue)	assessed immediatly after massage or rest
Maximal isometric force of the lumbar muscles (Newtons)	Back extensor isometric force is assess throught surface electromyography electrodes during a five seconds maximal volontary contraction	assessed immediatly after massage or rest

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Martin Descarreaux, DC PhD, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 1, 2016
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 1, 2016
• Study Completion (Actual): November 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 11, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 20, 2017
• First Posted (Actual): April 21, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 24, 2017
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 21, 2017
• Last Verified: April 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: massage
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Back Pain; Low Back Pain
• Other Study ID Numbers: UQTR-2016-MASSO

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: No data sharing will be done

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No