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. 2022;46(3):560-572.
doi: 10.1007/s10608-021-10282-w. Epub 2021 Dec 21.

Myofascial Tissue and Depression

Johannes Michalak  1 , Lanre Aranmolate  1 , Antonia Bonn  1 , Karen Grandin  1 , Robert Schleip  2   3 , Jaqueline Schmiedtke  1 , Svenja Quassowsky  1 , Tobias Teismann  4
Affiliations

Myofascial Tissue and Depression

Johannes Michalak et al. Cognit Ther Res. 2022.

Abstract

Background: The myofascial system plays a fundamental role in the mechanics of the body, in body tension regulation and the etiology of pathological states like chronic pain. Moreover, it contains contractile elements and preliminary evidence suggests that its properties are linked to psychological factors. The aim of the present research was to investigate characteristics of the myofascial tissue in patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and to examine whether the state of the myofascial tissue causally affects pathopsychological processes in MDD.

Methods: In Study 1, stiffness and elasticity of the myofascial tissue of 40 inpatients suffering from MDD measured with a tissue compliance meter were compared with those of 40 matched never-depressed participants. In Study 2, 69 MDD patients were randomly assigned to single-session self-myofascial release intervention (SMRI) or a placebo intervention. Effects on memory bias and affect were investigated.

Results: Results showed that MDD patients displayed heightened stiffness and reduced elasticity of the myofascial tissue and that patients in the SMRI group showed a reduced negative memory bias and more positive affect compared to patients in the placebo condition.

Conclusions: The preliminary results of our studies indicate that the myofascial tissue might be part of a dysfunctional body-mind dynamic that maintains MDD.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10608-021-10282-w.

Keywords: Depression; Embodiment; Memory bias; Myofascial tissue.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interestThe authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Self-myofascial release intervention for neck (a) and upper back (b)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Placebo intervention for neck (a) and upper back (b)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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