Title:

"Soft Tissue Mobilization Techniques Are Effective in Treating Chronic Pain Following Cesarean Section"

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Publishing Journal:  

Journal of Women's Health Physical Therapy

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Study Purpose:

To determine whether soft tissue mobilization (STM) reduces chronic pain and improves impaired function & mobility resulting from C-section surgery...

 

"More than 1.27 million C-sections are performed annually in the United States, and of these, 6% to 18% result in significant chronic pain." 

 

Date Published:

December 2018

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Study Type:  

Multicenter randomized clinical trial

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'Multicenter' = Having been conducted at multiple medical centers or clinics

'Randomized clinical trial' = Subjects were randomly assigned (in this case, to one of 2 groups)

 

Subjects:

28 subjects reporting chronic pain following C-section surgery

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What They Did:

The 28 subjects underwent 4 treatment sessions...

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The Treatment Sessions:

• Group 1 - Received superficial abdomen and lumbothoracic massage, as well as superficial skin rolling of the painful scar.

• Group 2  - Received the same treatment as group 1 plus abdominal myofascial release and direct deep scar mobilizations.

 

Measures Taken:

Preintervention Measures: 2 baseline measures were collected 4 weeks apart to demonstrate stability of symptoms (there was no change to any outcome during the baseline period)

Postintervention Measures: Outcomes were measured at 2 weeks postintervention, and again at 10 weeks

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Measured Outcomes:

• Pressure pain threshold (PPT) - The minimum force applied that produces pain

• Scar mobility

• Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) - A patient-completed questionnaire that scores level of function (disability) in activities of daily living in those with low back pain

• Global Rating of Change (GROC) - Provides a means of measuring self-perceived change in health status

• Numeric Pain Rating Scale - Individuals self-report pain on a scale of 0-10 where 0 = no pain and 10 = worst imaginable pain

 

What They Found:  

• Scar mobility, PPT, ODI, and pain all showed statistically significant improvements in both groups

• There were no significant differences between treatment groups on any outcome, with both groups showing improvement

• GROC was “quite a bit better”

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Big Takeaway:

STM interventions are a useful, cost-effective treatment option for the many women with chronic C-section–related pain

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Source:

Journal of Women's Health Physical Therapy: September/December 2018 - Volume 42 - Issue 3 - p 111-119