SynthesisBMC musculoskeletal disorders2025
The effect of friction massage on pain intensity, PPT, and ROM in individuals with myofascial trigger points: a systematic review.
Synthesis in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionFriction massage (FM) is a conservative treatment for managing myofascial trigger points (MTrPs). Although many studies have demonstrated the effects of FM, this manual technique significantly loads the therapist's hands. Therefore, there is a need to evaluate FM compared to other physical therapy methods to help clinicians choose the best one.
objectiveThis systematic review aimed to investigate the effect of FM on pain intensity, pressure pain threshold (PPT), and joint range of motion (ROM) in individuals with MTrPs.
methodsPubMed/Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, and Google Scholar were searched from inception to 15 April 2024. All randomized control and clinical trials that assessed the effect of FM on pain intensity, PPT, and joint ROM in individuals with MTrPs were included.
resultsTwelve studies were included. The within-group results showed that FM could significantly improve pain intensity, PPT, and joint ROM, but compared to the control group, there was no significant superiority for improving pain intensity and PPT, and the results were inconclusive for the effect of FM on joint ROM improvement because of controversial findings.
conclusionIn the short term, there is level C evidence indicating that FM may effectively reduce VAS and the PPT of MTrPs in upper trapezius. Nonetheless, high-quality and long-term research is needed to address improvements in ROM and NPRS. Due to nature of level C evidence, future well-designed RCTs should overcome the existing limitations using adequate sample sizes, long intervention periods, and long-term follow-up.
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