"Comparative Effect of Rolfing Soft Tissue Manipulation and Bowen Technique on Calf Tightness Among Housewives"

Comparative effect of Rolfing Soft Tissue Manipulation and Bowen Technique on calf tightness among housewives.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Calf Muscle Tightness
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Bowen Technique; Other: Rolfing Soft Tissue Manipulation

Detailed Description

Housework involves ongoing physical effort and is predominantly carried out by women. As a result, musculoskeletal (MSK) problems in housewives are a significant concern. Tightness in the calf muscles can limit ankle dorsiflexion, contributing to such issues. Two potential manual therapy interventions, Rolfing Soft Tissue Manipulation (RSTM) and the Bowen Technique (BT) may help alleviate this condition.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 54
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Pakistan
  • Punjab Province
    • Lahore, Punjab Province, Pakistan, 54000
      • Arif Memorial Teaching Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Housewives of age 25-50 years

  • Limited ankle dorsiflexion range of motion <10∘ of ankle dorsiflexion
  • Calf muscle tightness on palpation

Exclusion Criteria:

• A history of foot and ankle surgery

  • Neurological symptoms indicating a prolapsed intervertebral disc or radiating pain and comorbidities.
  • Any previous Neuromuscular issue, lower extremity pain and any pathology, toe Walkers, pregnant females, fracture of lower extremity and congenital deformity of lower extremity were excluded

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: Rolfing Soft Tissue Manipulation; Rolfing soft tissue manipulation aimed to separate bound up fascia by deeply separating the fibers manually to loosen them and allow efficient movement patterns. Rolfing practitioners use their hands, knuckles, elbows and more to "release, realign and balance the whole body". The fascia manipulated until it can operate in conjunction to the muscles in a normal fashion	Other: Rolfing Soft Tissue Manipulation; The initial intervention involved applying a hot pack to the calf muscles (10-minute duration), then with the participant in the prone position and the therapist by their side, a 120-second hold of the Rolfing technique of MFR was applied for the calf muscle
Active Comparator: Bowen Technique; Bowen technique is described as a soft tissue remedial therapy, the therapist uses fingers or thumbs to apply pain-free, gentle rolling moves over muscle, ligament, tendon and other connective tissues in specific parts of the body	Other: Bowen Technique; The Bowen Technique involves the application of gentle rolling motions on specific target muscles or connective tissues using the fingers and thumbs, typically ranging from fifteen to forty-five minutes per session,

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Goniometer	Goniometer is easily accessible and is an important tool for measuring range of motion of different joints. To measure DFROM using a goniometer, participants were instructed to lay supine and with the knee straight and actively dorsiflex their ankles to end of range by bringing their toes up towards their head. For angle measurement, the axis center of the goniometer was placed on the most prominent point of the lateral malleolus, with the fixed arm of the goniometer along with the leg, and the movable arm parallel with the sole of the foot	Baseline and 4th week

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
WBLT (knee to wall test)	A tape measure was used.; stand facing a wall with about 10cm between participant's big toe and wall.; move one foot backward so it is about a foot behind the leg investigator is testing.(one leg at a time); now bend front knee until the kneecap touches the wall, keeping the heel on ground.; If participant's knee cannot reach the wall without heel coming off ground, inch participant's foot closer to the wall and try again.; If participant's knee was able to touch the wall too easily with the 10cm set up without heel coming off the ground, move foot further away from wall and try again.; repeat step 4 or 5 until participant can just touch kneecap to the wall while heel stays on ground.; Measure and record the distance between wall and big toe. Do repeat the test on the other leg. Smaller than 9-10cm is considered a restricted, shortened calf muscle.	Baseline and 4th week

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Rashid Latif Medical College

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Lee K, Lewis GN. Short term relief of multisite chronicpain with Bowen Therapy: A double-blind, randomized controlled trial. J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2020 Oct;24(4):271-279. doi: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2020.06.025. Epub 2020 Jul 30.
• KALIYAPERUMAL, A., DHARANI, J. & NEELAMEGAM, D. 2021. Comparison between indian and western toilet user on hamstring and ankle flexibility among housewives. International Journal of Physical Education Sports Management and Yogic Sciences, 11, 13-22.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): July 10, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 12, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): January 12, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 18, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 18, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): May 22, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 27, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 22, 2026
• Last Verified: May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Bowen Technique; Calf Tightness; Rolfing Soft Tissue Manipulation; Housewives
• Other Study ID Numbers: IRB/2024/158

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: The data will be shared on request.

Drug and device information, study documents

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