Spencer's Muscle Energy Technique Along With Strain Counter Strain in Adhesive Capsulitis.

December 12, 2024 updated by: Riphah International University

Effects of Spencer's Muscle Energy Technique Along With Strain Counter Strain in Adhesive Capsulitis.

Numerous Physiotherapy techniques have been found to be beneficial but there is no consensus on the best treatment approach for speeding up rehabilitation process and rejuvenating functional capacity in patients suffering from Adhesive capsulitis. Spencer Muscle energy technique is found to be effective in treatment of shoulder pathologies. It increases pain free range of motion through stretching the tissues, enhancing lymphatic flow and increasing the joint circulation where as Strain Counter Strain is a technique derived from positional release therapy which uses a pain monitor (trigger points) to find the position of the pain when it is no longer felt at the monitoring point. The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of Spencer Muscle energy technique with and without the employment of Strain Counter Strain on pain, Range of motion and disability in Adhesive capsulitis.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Adhesive shoulder capsulitis or arthrofibrosis commonly known as frozen shoulder, depicts a pathological process in which the body forms excessive scar tissue or adhesions in the capsule around the glenohumeral joint, leading to stiffness, pain and dysfunction. The incidence of adhesive capsulitis in general population is approximately three to five percent and up to twenty percent in patients with diabetes. It is more common in women aged between forty and sixty years and in about twenty-thirty percent of cases it occurs bilaterally. In Pakistan, its precise prevalence is unknown, but in general it ranges from two-five percent. Adhesive capsulitis is classified into two categories: primary which is idiopathic in origin and occur spontaneously without any specific trauma or inciting event and is characterized by painful restriction of all shoulder movements, both active and passive, or Secondary which occurs as a result of some identifiable disorder, such as diabetes mellitus, or due to any inciting event such as cardiac surgery or trauma. There are four stages of frozen shoulder. Stage-one is painful shoulder. Stage - two is "Freezing Stage" with chronic pain and limitation in range of motion. Stage-three is "Frozen Stage" with considerable decreased Range Of Motion and rigid "end feel". Stage-four is "Thawing Phase" with progressive improvement in Range Of Motion. Physiotherapy methods such as active and active assisted exercises, pendular ex's, wand ex's, wall and ladder ex's, capsular stretching ex's and shoulder joint mobilization are often standard exercises in treating frozen shoulder. Electrotherapy modalities such as application of ultrasound, Interferential therapy, short-wave diathermy and LASER are used to relieve pain and promote hyperthermal effect to the tissues.

The Spencer technique is a standardized series of shoulder treatments with broad application in diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. It was developed by Spencer in 1961. This approach is a well-known osteopathic manipulative technique that focuses on mobilization of the glenohumeral and scapulothoracic joints. It is an articulatory technique with seven different procedures, in this technique passive, smooth, rhythmic motion of the shoulder joint is done by the therapist to stretch contracted muscles, ligaments and capsule. Most of the force is applied at the end range of motion. This technique increases pain free range of motion through stretching the tissues, enhancing lymphatic flow and stimulating increased joint circulation.

Positional release technique ( PRT), originally termed strain-counterstain, is a therapeutic technique that uses tender points (TPs) and a position of comfort (POC) to resolve the associated dysfunction. Essentially, Positional release technique is the opposite of stretching. For example, if a patient had a tight, tender area on the calf, if the clinician dorsiflex the foot to stretch the calf in an effort to reduce the tightness and pain. This might lead to muscle guarding and increased pain. Using the same example, a clinician who employs Positional release technique would place the tender point in the position of greatest comfort (plantar flexion), shortening the muscle in an effort to relax the tissues and decrease the tender points. Dr. Lawrence H. Jones, an osteopathic physician, was the first to publish a map of tender point locations and their associated treatment positions. Jones1964 proposed that when a muscle is strained by a sudden unexpected force, its antagonist attempts to stabilize the joint, resulting in a counterstain of the muscle in a resting or shortened position. Before the antagonist is counter strained, gamma neural activity is heightened as a result of its shortened position, making the spindle more sensitive propagating development of restriction, sustained contraction, and tender point development. The application of Positional release technique relaxes the muscle-spindle mechanism, decreasing aberrant gamma and alpha neuronal activity, thereby breaking the sustained contraction. The prevailing theory underlying Positional release technique involve spacing tissues in a relaxed shortened state, or position of comfort , for a period of time (ninety sec) to decrease gamma gain in order to facilitate restoration of normal tissue length and tension.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

36

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

  • Pakistan
    • Punjab
      • Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan, 46000
        • Pakistan Railway General 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

35 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients clinically diagnosed with unilateral adhesive capsulitis.
  • Patients who had restricted ROM (loss of 25% or greater relative to non-
  • involved shoulder in one or multidirectional).
  • Stage 2 and 3 of frozen shoulder.
  • Diabetic patients diagnosed with frozen shoulder.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • A history of major shoulder injury or surgery.
  • Other disorders possibly influencing existing shoulder symptoms e.g. cervical neuropathy.
  • Paralysis or neurological changes of the affected upper limb.
  • Fractures or open wounds;
  • Degenerative, inflammatory, or infectious arthritis;
  • History of intra-articular injection pain treatment.
  • History of osteoporosis or malignancies in shoulder region

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: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Spencer Muscle energy technique with conventional Physiotherapy
  1. shoulder extension with elbow flexion.
  2. shoulder flexion with elbow extension.
  3. circumduction with compression
  4. circumduction with distraction
  5. shoulder abduction and internal rotation with elbow flexion.
  6. shoulder adduction and external rotation with elbow flexion
  7. stretching tissue and pumping fluids with the arm extended: therapist interlocks his fingertips over the deltoid muscle, patient's hand was placed over the therapist shoulder, and the therapist slowly moved the arm away from the shoulder and released.

During all the movements patient is asked to use their muscle energy against the slight resistance offered by the therapist for 6-8 sec.

conventional therapy Joint mobilization

Exercise therapy:

Self stretching and strengthening exercises
Other: Spencer Muscle energy technique with conventional Physiotherapy

shoulder extension with elbow flexion. shoulder flexion with elbow extension. circumduction with compression circumduction with distraction shoulder abduction and internal rotation with elbow flexion. shoulder adduction and external rotation with elbow flexion stretching tissue and pumping fluids with the arm extended: therapist interlocks his fingertips over the deltoid muscle, patient's hand was placed over the therapist shoulder, and the therapist slowly moved the arm away from the shoulder and released.

During all the movements patient is asked to use their muscle energy against the slight resistance offered by the therapist for 6-8 sec.

conventional therapy Joint mobilization

Exercise therapy:

Self stretching and strengthening exercises
Active Comparator: Strain counter strain along with conventional Physiotherapy and Spencer Muscle energy technique

Palpate surrounding and opposing tissues to locate tender point for both shoulder abduction and external rotation.

Use one or two finger pads to monitor fasciculation and TP. Fine-tune position with rotation. Hold the POC (position of comfort) until fasciculation decreases significantly or ceases.

Average positions hold time while pressure is 90 s to 3 min. Transient periods of brief tingling, numbness, and temperature changes might occur. Release tissue or joint slowly and reassess.
Other: Strain counter strain along with conventional Physiotherapy and Spencer Muscle energy technique

Palpate surrounding and opposing tissues to locate tender point for both shoulder abduction and external rotation.

Use one or two finger pads to monitor fasciculation and TP. Fine-tune position with rotation. Hold the POC (position of comfort) until fasciculation decreases significantly or ceases.

Average positions hold time while pressure is 90 s to 3 min. Transient periods of brief tingling, numbness, and temperature changes might occur. Release tissue or joint slowly and reassess.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS):
Time Frame: 4 weeks
Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) is a11-point scale. The scale is anchored on the left with the phrase ''no pain'' and on the right with the phrase ''worst imaginable pain.'' Patients rate their current level of pain and their worst and least amount of pain in the last 24 hours.
4 weeks
Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI):
Time Frame: 4 weeks
Functional Disability was measured using Shoulder pain and Disability Index (SPADI). It was developed to measure the pain and disability associated with shoulder pathology. SPADI is a self administered index consisting of 13 items divided into two subscales i.e. pain and disability.
4 weeks
Shoulder ROM
Time Frame: 4 Weeks
Shoulder ROM was measured using Goniometer. It is an instrument which measures the available range of motion at a joint. There are different types of goniometers. The type that is most used is the universal standard goniometer, which is either made with plastic or metal tool. It consists of a stationary arm, a movable arm and a fulcrum. It is a reliable tool for measuring shoulder ROM's in degree.
4 Weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Riphah International University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Maria khalid, MSOMPT, Riphah International University

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 (Actual)

September 1, 2020

Primary Completion (Actual)

January 30, 2021

Study Completion (Actual)

February 20, 2021

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 22, 2021

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 29, 2021

First Posted (Actual)

March 30, 2021

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 25, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 12, 2024

Last Verified

December 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • REC/00762 Aimen Iftikhar

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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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