The difference in the upper trapezius deep fascia slides between individuals with and without myofascial pain syndrome: A case-control study.

INTRODUCTION: MPS is a chronic disorder caused by myofascial trigger points, leading to pain and limited neck movements due to impacted fascia. Studies have reported reduced fascia slides in chronic low back pain, but limited fascia slides in MPS patients are still unreported. AIM: We determined differences in upper trapezius' deep fascia slides between MPS and non-MPS participants. METHODS: Between January-August 2019, participants from diverse work sectors were recruited in Manila. An expert physiotherapist diagnosed MPS, while non-MPS participants performed full painless cervical movements. Participants underwent upper trapezius deep fascia scans on both shoulders while performing six cervical movements. An HS1 Konica Minolta ultrasound recorded the data. Two blinded physiotherapists used Tracker 5.0 © 2018 to analyze videos and quantify deep fascia slides by measuring the distance between two x-axis points. The Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) assessed deep fascia slide differences in six active cervical movements. Pillai's Trace, with a range of 0-1 and a p-value of <0.05, was set. Effect sizes in individuals with and without MPS were calculated using Hedges' g and Cohen's d. RESULTS: Of the 327 participants (136 non-MPS, 191 MPS), 101 MPS participants had shoulder pain for <1 year and 103 experienced unilateral pain. The study examined 3800 ultrasound videos but found no significant difference in deep fascia slides across cervical movements between MPS and non-MPS groups (Pillai's Trace = 0.004, p = 0.94). Minor differences in deep fascia displacement were observed, with small effect sizes (g = 0.02-0.08). CONCLUSION: A limited deep fascia slide does not characterize MPS participants from non-MPS participants.

Improving balance control in older persons through martial arts: A scoping review protocol

INTRODUCTION@#Martial arts, other than Tai chi, are now being integrated into exercise programs to improve the balance control of older adults. This scoping review aims to describe the extent, range, and nature of available literature on martial arts use to improve balance control in older adults. @*METHODS AND ANALYSIS@#This scoping review will adhere to the steps described in the Arksey and O’Malley framework. Studies on martial arts use, aside from Tai chi, in improving balance in older adults are eligible. Only experimental studies written in English will be included. Literature search on published articles from inception to February 2021 will be conducted in ScienceDirect, PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, Medline, and ProQuest. Grey literature search will be implemented in Google Scholar, Pro-Quest Dissertations and Theses Open, University of Santo Tomas Library. Handsearching for additional articles from reference lists of included studies will also be performed. Data on author and year of publication, country, study design, target population, type of martial art, exercise protocol, balance outcome measures used, and main findings will be extracted from the included studies.@*ETHICS AND DESSIMINATION@#This protocol describes the rigorous process that will be implemented to map the breadth of existing literature on martial arts use in improving the balance control of older adults. Ethical approval is not required because only information from publicly accessible sources will be collected. Review findings will be disseminated through publications and presentations in local and international conferences and shared with relevant agencies and societies.@*SCOPING REVIEW REGISTRATION@#This protocol was registered in Open Science Framework (OSF): https://osf.io/vez68.