Clinical trial NCT05242679: Effect of Myofascial Release With Tennis Ball on Spasticity and Motor Functions
Official title: Effect of Myofascial Release With Tennis Ball on Spasticity and Upper Limb Motor Functions in Patients With Chronic Stroke
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Stroke
Keywords: Myofascial release
Chronic stroke
Motor functions
Spasticity
modified Ashworth scale
Fugl-Meyer assessment scale
Lead sponsor: King Saud University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2022-02-16
Enrollment: 22
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 40
Maximum age (years): 65
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: Two-arm parallel pre-test-post-test experimental design.
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: Impaired motor function and upper extremity spasticity are common concerns in patients after stroke. It is essential to plan therapeutic techniques to recover from the stroke. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of myofascial release with the tennis ball on spasticity and motor functions of the upper extremity in patients with chronic stroke.

Detailed description: Myofascial release is a therapeutic technique that aims to improve flexibility and sliding between layers of soft tissues, reduce the severity of muscle activity pain, and improve functional performance. A previous study included myofascial release with a tennis ball in the lower extremity in patients with chronic stroke and reported improved balance. Different other unique therapeutic interventions have been proposed over the past two decades for stroke management; however, myofascial release with a tennis ball has not been included in them. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the effects of myofascial release with a tennis ball on spasticity and motor functions of the upper limb in patients with chronic stroke.

Participants were equally divided into two groups viz. experimental and control, with 11 participants in each group.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Unilateral stroke,
* Hemiplegia with upper extremity dysfunctions of more than 6 months and less than 2 years of duration
* modified Ashworth scale of grade 1-3,
* Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) \>24 suggesting intact cognition,
* full passive range of motion of the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand joints
* voluntary control by Brunnstrom of grade 3-5 for shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints

Exclusion Criteria:

* circulatory problems such as deep vein thrombosis,
* impaired sensation over the affected upper limb,
* recently injured area/open wounds,
* arthritic or any other musculoskeletal condition of the upper extremity, shoulder instability based on the posterior or anterior apprehension test, and positive sulcus test,
* history of brain surgery after stroke,
* Botox injection in the past four months,
* medically unstable patients,
* patients who have had multiple strokes.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Spasticity
timeFrame: 4 weeks.
measure: Upper limb motor functions
timeFrame: 4 weeks.
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Riyadh
country: Saudi Arabia
facility: King Saud University
Study officials:
affiliation: King Saud University
name: Masood Khan, M.P.Th
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Parikh RJ, Sutaria JM, Ahsan M, Nuhmani S, Alghadir AH, Khan M. Effects of myofascial release with tennis ball on spasticity and motor functions of upper limb in patients with chronic stroke: A randomized controlled trial. Medicine (Baltimore). 2022 Aug 5;101(31):e29926. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000029926.