Does the Addition of Manual Therapy Techniques Increase Gastrocnemius/Soleus Length More Than Stretching Alone?

Nationwide Children's Hospital

Status: Completed

Conditions: Muscle Tightness

Treatments: Procedure: Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization; Other: Static stretching/ROM exercises; Procedure: Rearfoot joint mobilization

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01856972

IRB13-00096

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study will examine the short term effects of adding manual therapy techniques to static stretching in Dorsiflexion (DF) Range of Motion (ROM). The investigators will be studying 2 forms of manual therapy, a rear-foot thrust joint mobilization (TJM), and Instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM). By comparing 3 groups: TJM+static stretching versus IASTM + static stretching versus static stretching alone the investigators wish to see if there are any short term benefits in DF ROM by adding either of these interventions to static stretching.

The manual therapy treatment will occur over 2 sessions and DF ROM measurements will be taken 4 times over a 2 week period.

The population that the investigators wish to examine are subjects with healthy feet and ankles, but with limited DF ROM.

The primary objective of this study is to see if subjects with decreased dorsiflexion motion will experience greater increases in dorsiflexion motion with the addition of manual therapy of static stretching alone.

Our hypothesis is subjects who receive manual therapy therapy and static stretching will experience a significant increase in DF ROM as compared to subjects who receive static stretching alone. More specifically subjects who are treated with the IASTM will experience greater results than subjects who are treated with the rear-foot thrust mobilization.

Enrollment: 20 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 12+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

healthy feet and ankles must have limited dorsiflexion ROM. Limited dorsiflexion will be judged by patient having <12 degrees of DF PROM with knee extended, or <50 degrees of weight bearing DF ROM with the knee flexed.

Exclusion criteria

• inability to fully weight bear through their lower extremities
• have <0-90 degrees of ROM in their knees
• inability to follow directions
• presence of a Lower Extremity fracture
• pregnant or nursing

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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20 participants in 3 patient groups

Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization

Experimental group

Description:

Subjects randomized into this treatment arm will receive Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization to the Gastrocnemius/Soleus complex, as well as a standard stretching/ROM protocol

Treatment:

Procedure: Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization

Other: Static stretching/ROM exercises

Rearfoot joint mobilization

Experimental group

Description:

Subjects randomized into this treatment arm will receive a rear-foot joint mobilization as well as a standard stretching/ROM protocol

Treatment:

Procedure: Rearfoot joint mobilization

Other: Static stretching/ROM exercises

Static stretching/ROM exercises

Active Comparator group

Description:

This is the control group consisting of Static stretching/ROM exercises. No manual intervention is performed with the group. The subjects will perform the standard stretching and ROM protocol

Treatment:

Other: Static stretching/ROM exercises