Effectiveness of Myofascial Release Technique and Muscle Energy Technique on Pain and Physical Function among Smartphone Users with Trapezitis

Introduction: Trapezitis is the most common musculoskeletal disorder caused by the inflammation of the trapezius muscle which leads to muscle spasms and pain in the neck. The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among smartphone users ranges from 1% to 67.8%. The prevalence of neck pain in young adults among smartphone users in the past 12 months was 47.4%. Smartphone usage for prolonged periods of time causes repetitive strain of muscles. Physiotherapists utilise a wide range of interventions in the management of trapezitis including myofascial release technique and muscle energy technique. The purpose of the study is to compare the effects of myofascial release technique and muscle energy technique on pain and physical function among smartphone users with trapezitis. Methodology: 60 subjects were selected for the study and were randomly assigned to one of the two groups. Each group had 30 subjects within the age group of 18-25 years. Group A was given myofascial release technique along with cryotherapy and Group B was given muscle energy technique with cryotherapy. The parameters of the study included: Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) and Neck Disability Index (NDI) scale pre-test and post-test comparison done between the groups. Results: Approximate descriptive statistics and interferential statistics along with the graphical methods were used. Both pre-test and post-test measures were analysed statistically using t-test to test the effectiveness of each technique. P value between the group NPRS and NDI (p < 0.0001) shows significance in the subjects. Conclusion: It was concluded that muscle energy technique was better than myofascial release technique among smartphone users with trapezitis.