NCT00884065

Brief Summary

While Diacutaneous fibrolysis (DF) has achieved promising results empirically, its effectiveness has not been tested in clinical trials. The investigators hypothesized that the use of DF in patients suffering from painful shoulder would increase the active mobility and reduce the pain during movement. To test the hypothesis a double blind (patient and investigator) randomized clinical trial was carried out in two public Primary Health Care Centres. Fifty patients were randomly allocated to two groups: the intervention group, who received a real DF session, and the control group, who received a placebo DF session.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
50

participants targeted

Target at P25-P50 for not_applicable

Timeline
Completed

Started Jun 2007

Shorter than P25 for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
completed

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Start

First participant enrolled

June 1, 2007

Completed
7 months until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

January 1, 2008

Completed
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

January 1, 2008

Completed
1.1 years until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

February 9, 2009

Completed
2 months until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

April 20, 2009

Completed
Same day until next milestone

Results Posted

Study results publicly available

April 20, 2009

Completed
Last Updated

March 23, 2015

Status Verified

March 1, 2015

Enrollment Period

7 months

First QC Date

February 9, 2009

Results QC Date

February 9, 2009

Last Update Submit

March 3, 2015

Conditions

Keywords

PhysiotherapyManual therapyPainful ShoulderDiacutaneous Fibrolysis

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (5)

  • Change in Active Flexion Movement After Intervention Minus Baseline

    A universal double armed goniometer was used to measure change in active flexión movement in the sagital plane with the elbow fully extended and the forearm in indifferent pronosupination (thumb forward)

    Baseline and the same day (just after intervention)

  • Change in Active Abduction Movement After Intervention Minus Baseline

    A universal double armed goniometer was used to measure change in active abduction movement in the scapular plane with the elbow in extension and the forearm in supination

    Baseline and the same day (just after intervention)

  • Change in Active extensión Movement After Intervention Minus Baseline

    A universal double armed goniometer was used to measure change in active extensión movement in the sagital plane with the elbow fully extended and the forearm in indifferent pronosupination (thumb forward)

    Baseline and the same day (just after intervention)

  • Change in Active External Rotation After Intervention Minus Baseline

    A universal double armed goniometer was used to measure change in active external rotation measured in the neutral position of the shoulder (arm pinned to the trunk), elbow flexed to 90º and the forearm in indifferent pronosupination (thumb forward)

    Baseline and the same day (just after intervention)

  • Change in Active Internal Rotation After Intervention Minus Baseline

    Change in active internal rotation was measured with the hand behind back test. The position achieved by the tip of the thumb was marked and with a flexible metric tape (always the same) the distance in centimetres between this mark and the inferior tip of the spinous process of C7 was measured; the shorter the distance, the better the mobility

    Baseline and the same day (just after intervention)

Secondary Outcomes (1)

  • Change in Pain in the Hand Behind Back Position After Intervention Minus Baseline

    Baseline and the same day (just after intervention)

Study Arms (2)

Intervention Group

EXPERIMENTAL

The intervention group was treated with a single session of DF following the procedure as described by the authors.

Other: Diacutaneous Fibrolysis

Control Group

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

The control group was treated with a single placebo session of DF.

Other: Diacutaneous Fibrolysis (placebo)

Interventions

The implementation of the technique consists of three consecutive stages: The first stage involves manual palpation, which is carried out by the hand that is not holding the hook, with the objective to find the area to be treated; the second, or instrumental palpation stage, is carried out by introducing the spatula of the hook together with the index finger of the palpatory hand to locate with precision the adherent connective fibers or fibrous corpuscles; the third, or fibrolysis stage, is the actual treatment. Here, a brief supplementary traction is carried out with the hook.

Also known as: Manual therapy
Intervention Group

The placebo was designed for this study and the stages of manual and instrumental palpation occur strictly at a superficial level. In the third stage, instead of fibrolysis a pinch of skin is hold with the thumb of the palpatory hand and the tip of the spatula, so that the patient feels the hook distinctly but without any action taking place on the deep tissular planes.

Also known as: Manual therapy
Control Group

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years+
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • over 18 years of age
  • being referred for treatment of painful shoulder (except for adhesive capsulitis)
  • not having been previously treated with DF

You may not qualify if:

  • Damaged skin and/or cutaneous lesions in the shoulder area
  • History of shoulder surgery
  • Vascular abnormalities
  • Platelet antiaggregant therapy
  • Acute inflammatory condition of the shoulder (\<1 week)
  • Patients with a pending litigation or court claim

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Catalan Institute of Health - Servei de Rhb Sant Ildefons

Cornellà de Llobregat, Barcelona, 08940, Spain

Location

Related Publications (1)

  • Barra ME, Lopez C, Fernandez G, Murillo E, Villar E, Raya L. The immediate effects of diacutaneous fibrolysis on pain and mobility in patients suffering from painful shoulder: a randomized placebo-controlled pilot study. Clin Rehabil. 2011 Apr;25(4):339-48. doi: 10.1177/0269215510385480. Epub 2010 Nov 15.

    PMID: 21078700BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Shoulder Pain

Interventions

Musculoskeletal Manipulations

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

ArthralgiaJoint DiseasesMusculoskeletal DiseasesPainNeurologic ManifestationsSigns and SymptomsPathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Complementary TherapiesTherapeuticsPhysical Therapy ModalitiesRehabilitation

Results Point of Contact

Title
Martín Eusebio Barra López
Organization
Catalan Institut of Health - Servei de Rhb Sant Ildefons

Study Officials

  • Martín-Eusebio Barra-López, PT

    Catalan Institute of Health

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
  • Carlos López-de-Celis, DO, PT

    Catalan Institute of Health

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
  • Gabriela Fernández-Jentsch, PT

    Servicio Gallego de Salud

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
  • Ernesto Murillo-Barrios, PT

    Servicio Gallego de Salud

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
  • Edurne Villar-Mateo, PT

    Catalan Institute of Health

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
  • Laura Raya-de-Cardenas, PT

    Catalan Institute of Health

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

PI is Sponsor Employee
No
Restrictive Agreement
No

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
DOUBLE
Who Masked
PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

February 9, 2009

First Posted

April 20, 2009

Study Start

June 1, 2007

Primary Completion

January 1, 2008

Study Completion

January 1, 2008

Last Updated

March 23, 2015

Results First Posted

April 20, 2009

Record last verified: 2015-03

Locations