Effects of Myofascial Release Therapy on Body Posture and Facial Symmetry (MYOPOST-FACE)

May 20, 2026 updated by: Ece ACAR

Effects of Myofascial Release Therapy on Body Posture and Facial Symmetry in Healthy Individuals: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This randomized controlled study aims to investigate the effects of myofascial release therapy on body posture and facial symmetry in healthy individuals. Postural disorders and fascial tension may lead to biomechanical alterations not only in the musculoskeletal system but also in facial soft tissues and symmetry. Myofascial release techniques are widely used in physiotherapy to improve fascial mobility, reduce tissue tension, and support postural alignment. However, the potential effects of these interventions on facial symmetry have not been sufficiently investigated.

A total of 60 healthy participants will be included in the study and randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a control group. Participants in the intervention group will receive myofascial release therapy twice weekly for 6 weeks, while the control group will not receive any physical intervention during the same period. Body posture and facial symmetry assessments will be performed at baseline and after the intervention period.

Postural assessment will be conducted using the PostureScreen Mobile application through standardized anterior, posterior, and lateral photographs. Facial symmetry will be evaluated using anthropometric facial landmarks identified on standardized facial photographs. Directional asymmetry scores, linear measurements, proportional analyses, and angular measurements will be calculated.

The study is expected to provide evidence regarding the relationship between fascial interventions, postural alignment, and facial symmetry, and may contribute to the development of new physiotherapy approaches targeting fascial and postural dysfunctions.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Body posture and fascial balance are closely associated with musculoskeletal health and biomechanical alignment. Impairments in postural alignment may contribute to abnormal loading patterns, muscular imbalance, fascial tension, and compensatory movement strategies throughout the body. Recent fascial theories suggest that fascial continuity may influence not only spinal and extremity alignment but also craniofacial structures and facial symmetry. Increased fascial tension, particularly in the cervical and thoracic regions, may alter soft tissue mechanics and contribute to asymmetrical facial appearance.

Myofascial release therapy is a manual therapy approach commonly used in physiotherapy to improve fascial mobility, decrease tissue restriction, reduce pain, and optimize postural alignment. Although previous studies have investigated the effects of myofascial interventions on musculoskeletal pain and posture, limited evidence exists regarding their influence on facial symmetry and facial anthropometric characteristics.

The present study is designed as a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effects of myofascial release therapy on body posture and facial symmetry in healthy individuals. A total of 60 participants will be recruited and randomly allocated into intervention and control groups using a stratified randomization method based on dominant side characteristics. The intervention group will receive myofascial release therapy twice weekly for 6 weeks, whereas the control group will undergo only observation and assessment procedures during the same period.

The myofascial intervention protocol will include standardized manual therapy techniques targeting cervical, thoracic, shoulder, and fascial regions. The techniques will consist of single arm pull, lateral neck shoulder release, thoracic transverse plane technique, and anterior cervical fascial release applications performed by a trained physiotherapist.

Body posture assessment will be performed using the validated PostureScreen Mobile application. Standardized anterior, posterior, and lateral photographs will be analyzed to evaluate postural alignment parameters including forward head posture, shoulder asymmetry, spinal alignment, pelvic tilt, thoracic kyphosis, lumbar lordosis, and lower extremity alignment characteristics.

Facial symmetry assessment will be conducted using standardized digital facial photographs obtained under controlled environmental conditions. Anthropometric facial landmarks including exocanthion, endocanthion, alare, cheilion, zygion, and gonion points will be identified. Linear, proportional, and angular measurements will be calculated to determine facial asymmetry levels. Directional asymmetry scores will also be calculated to quantitatively evaluate right-left facial asymmetry.

Primary outcome measures will include changes in facial directional asymmetry scores and postural alignment parameters after the intervention period. Secondary analyses will investigate the relationship between postural characteristics, dominant side, physical activity habits, and facial symmetry variables.

The findings of this study may contribute to understanding the biomechanical relationship between fascial interventions, posture, and craniofacial symmetry. Additionally, the results may provide preliminary evidence for the use of fascial-based physiotherapy approaches in postural rehabilitation and facial asymmetry management.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

60

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 Contact

Study Contact Backup

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

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Healthy individuals aged between 18 and 45 years
  • Ability to understand and follow study instructions
  • Independent performance of daily living activities
  • No regular physiotherapy or manual therapy treatment within the previous 3 months
  • Willingness to participate voluntarily and sign the informed consent form
  • Ability to attend assessment and intervention sessions regularly

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of neurological or orthopedic disorders affecting posture or facial symmetry
  • Current musculoskeletal injury or ongoing rehabilitation treatment
  • Previous facial, spinal, or major musculoskeletal surgery or trauma
  • Pregnancy
  • Use of medications affecting muscle tone or neuromuscular function
  • Psychiatric or cognitive disorders limiting study participation
  • Inability to comply with study procedures

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: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Myofascial Release Therapy Group
Participants in this group will receive myofascial release therapy twice weekly for 6 weeks. The intervention protocol will include cervical, thoracic, shoulder, and fascial manual therapy techniques performed by a trained physiotherapist.
Procedure: Myofascial Release Therapy
Participants assigned to the intervention group will receive standardized myofascial release therapy performed by a trained physiotherapist twice weekly for 6 weeks. The intervention protocol will include single arm pull, lateral neck shoulder release, thoracic transverse plane technique, and anterior cervical fascial release techniques targeting cervical, thoracic, shoulder, and fascial regions. Each session will be conducted under standardized clinical conditions to improve fascial mobility, reduce tissue tension, and support postural alignment and facial symmetry.
Other Names:
  • Manual Myofascial Release
  • Myofascial Therapy
  • Fascial Release Therapy
No Intervention: Control Group
Participants in the control group will not receive any manual therapy or physical intervention during the study period and will only undergo assessment procedures.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Facial Directional Asymmetry Score
Time Frame: Baseline and after 6 weeks of intervention
Facial symmetry will be evaluated using standardized digital facial photographs and anthropometric facial landmarks. Directional asymmetry scores will be calculated by comparing right and left facial measurements before and after the intervention period.
Baseline and after 6 weeks of intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Ece ACAR

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Ece Acar, Karabuk 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 (Estimated)

June 15, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

February 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 20, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 20, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

May 27, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 27, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 20, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • MYOPOSTFACE-RCT-2026

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data sharing has not yet been determined. Data sharing decisions will be evaluated after study completion in accordance with institutional policies, ethical considerations, and publication requirements.

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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