Clinical trial NCT01856972: Does the Addition of Manual Therapy Techniques Increase Gastrocnemius/Soleus Length More Than Stretching Alone?
Official title: Does the Addition of Manual Therapy Techniques Increase Gastrocnemius/Soleus Length More Than Stretching Alone?
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Muscle Tightness
Keywords: Limited Dorsiflexion Range of Motion
Gastrocnemius tightness
Soleus tightness
Lead sponsor: Nationwide Children's Hospital
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2013-05-20
Enrollment: 20
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 12
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: This study will examine the short term effects of adding manual therapy techniques to static stretching in Dorsiflexion (DF) Range of Motion (ROM). The investigators will be studying 2 forms of manual therapy, a rear-foot thrust joint mobilization (TJM), and Instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM). By comparing 3 groups: TJM+static stretching versus IASTM + static stretching versus static stretching alone the investigators wish to see if there are any short term benefits in DF ROM by adding either of these interventions to static stretching.

The manual therapy treatment will occur over 2 sessions and DF ROM measurements will be taken 4 times over a 2 week period.

The population that the investigators wish to examine are subjects with healthy feet and ankles, but with limited DF ROM.

The primary objective of this study is to see if subjects with decreased dorsiflexion motion will experience greater increases in dorsiflexion motion with the addition of manual therapy of static stretching alone.

Our hypothesis is subjects who receive manual therapy therapy and static stretching will experience a significant increase in DF ROM as compared to subjects who receive static stretching alone. More specifically subjects who are treated with the IASTM will experience greater results than subjects who are treated with the rear-foot thrust mobilization.


Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

healthy feet and ankles must have limited dorsiflexion ROM. Limited dorsiflexion will be judged by patient having \<12 degrees of DF PROM with knee extended, or \<50 degrees of weight bearing DF ROM with the knee flexed.

Exclusion Criteria:

* inability to fully weight bear through their lower extremities
* have \<0-90 degrees of ROM in their knees
* inability to follow directions
* presence of a Lower Extremity fracture
* pregnant or nursing

Primary outcomes:
measure: Change in Weight bearing dorsiflexion Range of Motion
timeFrame: Immediately prior to treatment, Immediately following treatment (same day), 2 day follow up visit,and at 2 weeks (12-16 days after initial session)
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Columbus
country: United States
facility: Nationwide Children's Hospital Sports and Orthopedic PT East Broad St location
state: Ohio
Study officials:
affiliation: Nationwide Children's Hospital
name: Mitchell C Selhorst, MPT
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
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citation: Schaefer JL, Sandrey MA. Effects of a 4-week dynamic-balance-training program supplemented with Graston instrument-assisted soft-tissue mobilization for chronic ankle instability. J Sport Rehabil. 2012 Nov;21(4):313-26. doi: 10.1123/jsr.21.4.313.
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