Evaluating Electric Activity of Upper Fibers after Application of Various Kinds of Kinesiotaping and Physical Therapy

Summary

Background:
Myofascial pain syndrome belongs to most frequent musculoskeletal disorders

Objective:
Evaluating the effectiveness of five therapeutic procedures in the treatment of myofascial syndrome of the nucha region syndrome.

Cohort and methods:
fifty patients suffering from the nucha pains for at least six weeks were enrolled in the study. The exclude g criteria included severe discopathies with extinction or irritation symptomatology, inflammation and oncological diseases, myelopathies, instability and diseases of the central motoneuron.

Electric activity of upper fiber of the trapezoid muscle was monitored by bilateral surface electromyography in three different positions for the period of 20 seconds and after therapeutic intervention. The comparison of findings before and after the intervention in each patient was evaluated by paired t-test at the p<0.05 level of significance. Subsequently, the percent representation of significant results was assessed in every therapeutic group. The criterion of successful intervention was set for every examination position, if at least 70% of patients reached a significant decrease of electric activity. The calculation of arithmetic mean in one therapeutic group established the mean value of the treatment effect irrespective of the examination position.

Results:
In evaluating the various examination positions, as well as in determining the mean value for every method, the best results were provided by the PIR method (represented three times in the evaluation of success according to localization, the mean value being 60% of significantly improved patients, p<0.05). The limit of 70% according to localization was surpassed by the DNS method and thermal therapy, whereas manual techniques and AGR did not reach the value in any case. In averaging the values, the intervention success of thermal therapy reached 59%, manual techniques 52% and AGR reached 39%.

Conclusion:
The results made it clear that even a 10-minute therapeutic intervention can significantly influence electric activity of the trapezoid muscle in 39 % to 60 % in relation to the selected method. It confirmed unequivocally the significance of autotherapy practices in a common life of patients and, particularly, their inclusion into the working environment. The PIR method proved to reach the most considerable progress.

Keywords:
myofascial pain syndrome, kinesiotherapy, kinesiotaping, surface electromyography, trapezoid muscle, autotherapy practices