Trial reportJournal of orthopaedic surgery and research2025
Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization and percussion massage therapy in cervical disc herniation: a randomized controlled study.
Trial report in Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06903000 (Effects of Instrument-Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization and Vibration Therapy on Pain, Functional Status, Proprioception, and Kinesiophobia in Individuals With Cervical Disc Herniation), which is not on this map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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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.
Effects of Instrument-Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization and Vibration Therapy on Pain, Functional Status, Proprioception, and Kinesiophobia in Individuals With Cervical Disc Herniation
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Proprioception Training and Surrogate Outcomes: A Systematic Review of Definitions, Measures, and Effectiveness Claims.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Pooled it
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCervical disc herniation (CDH) is a common musculoskeletal disorder characterized by chronic neck pain, impaired proprioception, kinesiophobia, and functional limitations, often requiring multimodal conservative care. Myofascial techniques, including Instrument-Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM) and percussion massage therapy (PMT), have emerged as supportive physiotherapy interventions. This randomized controlled trial compared the effects of IASTM and PMT on pain, disability, kinesiophobia, and proprioceptive function in individuals with CDH.
methodsIn this double-blinded RCT, 57 participants with CDH were randomly allocated to Conventional Therapy (CT), CT + PMT, or CT + IASTM (n = 19 each). Interventions were delivered three times per week for 3 weeks. PMT was applied with a percussion massage device (33-40 Hz) for 3 min to each target muscle group (trapezius, levator scapulae, cervical paravertebral) using longitudinal strokes. IASTM used stainless-steel tools on trapezius, splenius, and suboccipital muscles, with sweep and fan techniques at 30°-60°, for 9 min per session. Primary outcomes were pain (VAS) and disability (NDI); secondary outcomes included kinesiophobia (TSK) and joint position sense (JPS). Between-group differences were analyzed using ANCOVA with baseline values as covariates.
resultsAll groups showed significant within-group improvements across all outcomes (p < 0.001). Compared to CT, both PMT and IASTM produced greater improvements in pain, kinesiophobia, and JPS (p < 0.001). VAS-rest reductions were - 4.00 ± 0.89 (d = 4.49) for IASTM, - 3.38 ± 1.95 (d = 1.74) for PMT, and - 2.13 ± 1.49 (d = 1.43) for CT. VAS-activity decreased by - 4.89 ± 1.44 (d = 3.41) for IASTM and - 3.89 ± 1.84 (d = 2.11) for PMT. NDI improved by - 11.47 ± 4.23 (d = 2.71) in IASTM, - 12.11 ± 6.86 (d = 1.76) in PMT, and - 6.63 ± 5.47 (d = 1.21) in CT, all exceeding the MCID threshold of 7.5 points. JPS-flexion improved by - 3.80 ± 1.61 (d = 2.36) in IASTM, - 3.67 ± 1.34 (d = 2.73) in PMT, and - 1.09 ± 0.84 (d = 1.29) in CT. Similar patterns occurred for extension, right rotation, and left rotation. Overall, IASTM and PMT yielded comparable improvements, suggesting similar clinical efficacy.
conclusionsIASTM and PMT provide added benefits over conventional therapy alone in managing CDH, especially in reducing pain and kinesiophobia and enhancing proprioception. Both can be effectively integrated into conservative rehabilitation programs targeting sensorimotor deficits in CDH.
trial registrationProspectively registered in the ClinicalTrials.gov registry (NCT06903000) on 24/03/2025.
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