ACUTE EFFECT OF DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING ON POSTOPERATIVE UPPER TRAPEZIUS PAIN (TRAP-BREATHE)

EVALUATION OF THE ACUTE EFFECTS OF DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING EXERCISES ADDED TO SOFT TISSUE MOBILIZATION AND PERCUSSIVE THERAPY ON PAIN, FUNCTIONALITY, AND PRESSURE PAIN THRESHOLD IN THE UPPER TRAPEZIUS MUSCLE OF SURGICAL NURSES AFTER SURGERY

This randomized controlled trial aims to investigate the acute effects of diaphragmatic breathing exercises added to soft tissue mobilization and percussive therapy on pain intensity, functional disability, and pressure pain threshold in operating room nurses experiencing upper trapezius pain after surgery-related work activities.

Participants will be operating room nurses working in a hospital operating theater who report upper trapezius pain and tenderness within 30 minutes after completing a surgical procedure. Eligible participants will be randomly assigned to either an intervention group receiving soft tissue mobilization, percussive therapy, and diaphragmatic breathing exercises, or a control group receiving soft tissue mobilization and percussive therapy alone.

Pain intensity will be assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), functional disability using the Neck Disability Index (NDI), and mechanical pain sensitivity using Pressure Pain Threshold (PPT) measurements. Assessments will be performed immediately before and after a single treatment session. The study aims to determine whether the addition of diaphragmatic breathing exercises provides additional benefits in reducing pain and improving function in the acute postoperative working period of operating room nurses.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Neck Pain; Myofascial Pain Syndrome; Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercise; Other: Soft Tissue Mobilization; Device: Percussive Therapy

Detailed Description

Operating room nurses are exposed to prolonged static postures, repetitive upper extremity movements, and sustained neck and shoulder loading during surgical procedures. These occupational demands frequently result in upper trapezius pain, tenderness, and functional limitations. Acute musculoskeletal symptoms experienced after surgical procedures may negatively affect both occupational performance and quality of life.

Soft tissue mobilization and percussive therapy are commonly used physiotherapy interventions for reducing muscle tension, improving local circulation, and decreasing pain sensitivity. Diaphragmatic breathing exercises may further contribute to pain reduction through autonomic nervous system regulation, parasympathetic activation, and decreased physiological stress responses. Although each intervention has been investigated separately, evidence regarding their combined acute effects in operating room nurses is limited.

The purpose of this randomized controlled trial is to evaluate whether the addition of diaphragmatic breathing exercises to a treatment protocol consisting of soft tissue mobilization and percussive therapy provides additional benefits for pain reduction, functional improvement, and pressure pain threshold in operating room nurses experiencing upper trapezius pain following surgery-related work activities.

Participants meeting the eligibility criteria will be randomly allocated to one of two groups. The intervention group will receive soft tissue mobilization, percussive therapy, and diaphragmatic breathing exercises, while the control group will receive soft tissue mobilization and percussive therapy only. All interventions will be administered during a single treatment session under physiotherapist supervision.

Outcome measures will include pain intensity assessed by the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), functional disability assessed by the Neck Disability Index (NDI), and mechanical pain sensitivity assessed by Pressure Pain Threshold (PPT) measurements using a digital algometer. Measurements will be obtained immediately before and immediately after the intervention session.

The findings of this study may contribute to the development of practical physiotherapy strategies for managing acute work-related upper trapezius pain among operating room nurses and may help identify the additional value of diaphragmatic breathing exercises within a multimodal physiotherapy approach.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 38
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Fatma Çavdarcı; Phone Number: +905374590918; Email: cvdrcftm@gmail.com

Study Locations

• Turkey (Türkiye)
  • Eyalet/Yerleşke
    • Istanbul, Eyalet/Yerleşke, Turkey (Türkiye), 34520
      • Istanbul Aydin University
      • Contact: FATMA ÇAVDARCI, PT, MSc; Phone Number: 05374590918; Email: cvdrcftm@gmail.com

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Aged between 22 and 55 years.
• Operating room nurse actively working in the hospital operating theater.
• Reporting upper trapezius pain and tenderness within 30 minutes after completion of a surgical procedure.
• Willing to participate and able to provide written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

• History of trauma, surgery, or chronic disease affecting the neck or shoulder region.
• Regular participation in breathing exercise programs.
• Psychiatric disorders requiring anxiolytic or antidepressant medication.
• Pregnancy.
• Skin disease, infection, or open wound in the treatment area.
• Severe cardiovascular disease or uncontrolled hypertension.
• Contraindications to manual therapy, soft tissue mobilization, percussive therapy, or breathing exercises.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Experimental Group; Participants will receive 5 minutes of soft tissue mobilization, 5 minutes of percussive therapy, and 5 minutes of diaphragmatic breathing exercises in a single treatment session.	Behavioral: Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercise; Participants will perform diaphragmatic breathing exercises for 5 minutes in a seated position under physiotherapist supervision.; Other: Soft Tissue Mobilization; Soft tissue mobilization techniques will be applied to the upper trapezius muscle for 5 minutes.; Device: Percussive Therapy; Percussive therapy will be applied to the upper trapezius muscle for 5 minutes using a massage device.
Active Comparator: Control Group; Participants will receive 5 minutes of soft tissue mobilization and 5 minutes of percussive therapy in a single treatment session.	Other: Soft Tissue Mobilization; Soft tissue mobilization techniques will be applied to the upper trapezius muscle for 5 minutes.; Device: Percussive Therapy; Percussive therapy will be applied to the upper trapezius muscle for 5 minutes using a massage device.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pain Intensity	Pain intensity will be assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). The Visual Analog Scale ranges from 0 to 10 points, where 0 indicates no pain and 10 indicates the worst imaginable pain. Higher scores indicate greater pain severity. Change from pre-intervention to immediately post-intervention will be analyzed.	Immediately before intervention and immediately after intervention (single session)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Neck Disability Index	Neck-related disability will be assessed using the Neck Disability Index (NDI). The Neck Disability Index consists of 10 items with a total score ranging from 0 to 50 points. A score of 0 indicates no disability and 50 indicates maximum disability. Higher scores indicate greater disability and poorer neck function. Change from pre-intervention to immediately post-intervention will be analyzed.	Immediately before intervention and immediately after intervention (single session)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Istanbul Aydın University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): June 5, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 2, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 5, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): June 9, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 9, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 5, 2026
• Last Verified: June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Neck Disability Index; Musculoskeletal Pain; Acute Pain; Diaphragmatic Breathing; Pressure Pain Threshold; Soft Tissue Mobilization; Operating Room Nurses; Percussive Therapy; Upper Trapezius Pain
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Muscular Diseases; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Signs and Symptoms; Musculoskeletal Pain; Myofascial Pain Syndromes; Acute Pain; Neck Pain
• Other Study ID Numbers: TR-TRAP-2026-01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: Individual participant data will not be shared to protect participant confidentiality and privacy.

Drug and device information, study documents

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