Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Sep 12:25:25.
doi: 10.1186/s12998-017-0156-9. eCollection 2017.

Friction massage versus kinesiotaping for short-term management of latent trigger points in the upper trapezius: a randomized controlled trial

Marzieh Mohamadi  1 , Soraya Piroozi  1 , Iman Rashidi  1 , Saeed Hosseinifard  1
Affiliations

Friction massage versus kinesiotaping for short-term management of latent trigger points in the upper trapezius: a randomized controlled trial

Marzieh Mohamadi et al. Chiropr Man Therap. .

Abstract

Background: Latent trigger points in the upper trapezius muscle may disrupt muscle movement patterns and cause problems such as cramping and decreased muscle strength. Because latent trigger points may spontaneously become active trigger points, they should be addressed and treated to prevent further problems. In this study we compared the short-term effect of kinesiotaping versus friction massage on latent trigger points in the upper trapezius muscle.

Methods: Fifty-eight male students enrolled with a stratified sampling method participated in this single-blind randomized clinical trial (Registration ID: IRCT2016080126674N3) in 2016. Pressure pain threshold was recorded with a pressure algometer and grip strength was recorded with a Collin dynamometer. The participants were randomly assigned to two different treatment groups: kinesiotape or friction massage. Friction massage was performed daily for 3 sessions and kinesiotape was used for 72 h. One hour after the last session of friction massage or removal of the kinesiotape, pressure pain threshold and grip strength were evaluated again.

Results: Pressure pain threshold decreased significantly after both friction massage (2.66 ± 0.89 to 2.25 ± 0.76; P = 0.02) and kinesiotaping (2.00 ± 0.74 to 1.71 ± 0.65; P = 0.01). Grip strength increased significantly after friction massage (40.78 ± 9.55 to 42.17 ± 10.68; P = 0.03); however there was no significant change in the kinesiotape group (39.72 ± 6.42 to 40.65 ± 7.3; P = 0.197). There were no significant differences in pressure pain threshold (2.10 ± 0.11 & 1.87 ± 0.11; P = 0.66) or grip strength (42.17 ± 10.68 & 40.65 ± 7.3; P = 0.53) between the two study groups.

Conclusions: Friction massage and kinesiotaping had identical short-term effects on latent trigger points in the upper trapezius. Three sessions of either of these two interventions did not improve latent trigger points.

Trial registration: Registration ID in IRCT: IRCT2016080126674N3.

Keywords: Grip strength; Latent; Pain threshold; Trapezius; Trigger point.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences with code number IR.SUMS.REC.1395.3. All participants signed an approved form to indicate informed consent before entering the study.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Friction massage (a) and kinesiotaping (b)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Flowchart of the enrollment and testing procedures
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Wu WT, Hong CZ, Chou LW. The kinesio taping method for myofascial pain control. J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med. 2015;2015:950519. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chao YW, Lin JJ, Yang JL, Wang WTJ. Kinesio taping and manual pressure release: short-term effects in subjects with myofasical trigger point. J Hand Ther 2016; 29(1):23-29. - PubMed
    1. Chaitow LDJ. Clinical application of neuromuscular techniques. 2nd ed. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2008.
    1. Rose EL. Pain management: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Hanley & Belfus, INC. An Affiliate of Elsevier; 2004.
    1. Lucas KR, Rich PA, Polus BI. Muscle activation patterns in the scapular positioning muscles during loaded scapular plane elevation: the effects of latent myofascial trigger points. Clin Biomech. 2010;25(8):765–770. doi: 10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2010.05.006. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources