Effects of SSMC With and Without Myofascial Release in Patients With Sciatica

Sciatica involves a radiating pain along the sciatic nerve, extending from the lower back through the hips and buttocks to each leg. Typically resulting from a herniated disk or spinal stenosis, this condition causes nerve compression that leads to pain, inflammation, and often numbness in the affected leg. Studies have shown that sensorimotor training with myofascial release can be effective in improving pain, lumbar range of motion and functional disability. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of Sensorimotor control training with and without myofascial releases on Pain, Lumbar range of motion and functional disability due to sciatica. Participants which meet inclusion criteria will be randomly allocated using online randomization tool into two groups. Group A will receive somatosensory control training with Routine Physical Therapy for 45 minutes with short resting interval for Group B will receive Somatosensory training with myofascial release technique for 45min. Each group will receive treatment sessions of 3 days per week for 12 weeks.

Despite the considerable body of research addressing sciatica and various therapeutic interventions, there remains a significant gap in understanding the comparative effectiveness of combining somatosensory motor control exercises with myofascial release techniques specifically for this condition.

The role of somatosensory motor control in managing sciatica has gained considerable attention in the last decade.The author conducted research on neural mobilization and somatosensory motor control training on individual with persistent low back pain (2023). They involved forty-five individuals that have been classified into three groups and applying different treatment strategies on study groups. Neural mobilization and somatosensory training are effective in relief of pain and improve lumbar range of motion. They concluded that adding the neural mobilization and somatosensory training to routine physical therapy were equally effective on sciattica. The other author stated that patients with sciatica often exhibit impaired motor control, which contributes to pain and functional limitations. Their study suggested that targeted exercises to improve somatosensory motor control could alleviate symptoms and enhance lumbar function. This finding has been supported by subsequent studies, which emphasized the importance of neuromuscular re-education in sciatica management. The research was conducted by Faraz et al. (2024) to check the effectiveness of myofascial release technique on range of motion and functional disability for patients with piriformis syndrome. They include sixty-six participants with deep gluteal syndrome. They showed that between group analysis showed MFR technique along with conventional therapy was more effective in alleviating pain and functional disability as compared to routine physical therapy .

This study aims to fill this gap by investigating the combined effects of somatosensory motor control and myofascial release on pain reduction, lumbar range of motion, and functional disability in sciatica patients. Most studies have focused either on general low back pain or on single interventions without evaluating the synergistic effects of comprehensive treatment protocols. Furthermore, limited research exists on the implementation of these combined therapies within the Pakistani population, where cultural, socioeconomic, and healthcare access factors may influence treatment outcomes.

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* Patient Diagnosed with sciatica (confirmed by clinical examination and imaging)
* Patient with Unilateral sciatica pain
* Patient Experiencing symptoms for at least 3 months
* Pain (VAS) score ≥ 5) in the lumbar and/or lower extremity region in patients.
* The disability with a score of at least 20% by the Oswestry Disability Index (
* Stable patient , no recent changes in treatment regimen for sciatica within the past 4 weeks

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patients with Lumbar spine surgery history within the past 6 months (11)
* Patients who have been Another clinical trial participant within the past 3 months (1).
* Patients with Physical therapy interventions contraindicated like in Severe cardiovascular disease and Uncontrolled hypertension Acute disc herniation requiring urgent surgical intervention (10).
* Patients with Significant comorbidities like malignancy, spinal infection and Severe osteoporosis affecting spine stability (14).
* Inability in patients to communicate effectively in Urdu or English, hindering comprehension of study instructions and assessments.