The effects of myofascial manual therapy on muscle activity and blood flow in people with low back pain

Over the past ten years structured clinical massage techniques aimed at the myofascial

structures of the body have become a common choice of therapy for people with low

back pain (LBP) (Ajimsha, Al-Mudahka and Al-Madzhar, 2015), yet the mechanisms

behind their effects remain unclear. The overall aim of this study was to determine the

benefits of myofascial manual therapy through an evaluation of the possible

mechanisms associated with changes to muscle activity and blood flow, in people with

low back pain.

The first study aimed to investigate the effects of structured clinical massage

techniques (CM) on the flexion relaxation response (FRP) of the paraspinal muscles,

range of movement (ROM), pain and disability profiles in subjects with non-specific

chronic low back pain compared to a relaxation massage (RM) treatment. Results

indicated a main effect of time for trials achieving FRP for the multifidus muscle F (1,

13) = 12.109, p = .004 and a marginal main effect of time for the erector spinae muscle

F (1, 13) = 4.495, p = .054. There were significant improvements in VAS F (1, 13) =

6.74, p = .022, and PRI F (1, 13) = 10.254, p =