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The Effect of Counterstrain Technique on Muscle Stiffness and Pain on Trapezius Tender Points in Medical Students

Journal: Journal of Osteopathic Medicine Date: 2021/12, 121(12):Pages: A48-A49. doi: Subito , type of study: controlled clinical trial

Full text    (https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/jom-2021-2000/html)

Keywords:

cervical spine [216]
controlled clinical trial [290]
counterstrain [41]
muscle stiffness [4]

Abstract:

Context: Medical students often exhibit poor studying posture, which can result in increased muscle stiffness surrounding the neck, pain and manifest into tender points. Previous studies on Counterstrain (CS) techniques have shown efficacy in decreasing pain scores. A device called the MyotonPRO has been used to assess muscle tone after non-CS osteopathic techniques. However, to date, no study has established a significant relationship between CS tender points and muscle tonicity using a MyotonPRO. Objective: The primary aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of CS technique in decreasing pain in trapezius tender points in medical students. The secondary aim was to utilize the MyotonPRO device to determine if CS technique changes muscle tone in the treated tender points. Methods: Twenty-seven medical students (17 females and 10 males) were evaluated for tender points in the upper trapezius bilaterally by a board-certified faculty member in the OMM department. The side with the highest initial pain rating was labeled as the treatment side, whereas the other side was labeled as the control side. A student investigator, who was blinded to the treatment and control trapezius tender points, measured all parameters, including muscle tone, using the MyotonPRO, bilaterally. The physician treated the treatment side with CS technique. Subjective reports of pain rating (out of 10) were recorded for the treatment side both pre and post-treatment. The points were measured again post-treatment by the blinded student investigator using the MyotonPRO, bilaterally. Pain scale changes and muscle stiffness data collected by the MyotonPRO was analyzed using SPSS statistical software. Results: The mean change in subjective pain scores before and after CS was 4.9 with a p-value of <0.001, indicating a statistically significant difference. The mean change in muscle stiffness measured by the MyotonPRO before and after CS treatment was 4.9 N/m with a p-value of 0.09, indicating a statistically insignificant difference. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that CS was effective in reducing pain levels in trapezius tender points in medical students. Further research may be needed regarding the use of MyotonPRO in measuring the physiological parameters of muscle in both pre- and post-counterstrain treatment. Further investigation is warranted regarding whether physiological changes in the trapezius muscle, as measured by the MyotonPRO, can be adequately correlated to the test subject’s decrease in subjective pain scores.


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