Effect of instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization versus myofascial release therapy for pain, mobility, and disability in chronic low backache patients: a quasi-experimental study

Background & objective: Low back pain (LBP) is a common musculoskeletal disorder in the general population. The most common etiological factors are overuse syndromes, postural issues, and bad working environment. The conservative management using physical agents can be more satisfactory and beneficial before the interventional techniques. We aimed to compare manual myofascial release and instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) techniques for improving pain, lumber mobility, and functional index in patients with chronic LBP. Methodology: This non-randomized trial was conducted on 40 chronic low back pain patients and data was collected from Chaudhry Akram Research and Teaching Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan. We included patients with LBP for more than 3 months, ages 22-45 y. Group A received manual myofascial release (MFR), and Group B received instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM). The outcomes assessed were pain, low back functional index, and lumber range of motion. The data was analyzed using SPSS V.23. Repeated measurement ANOVA was used for within group comparison. While an Independent sample t-test was applied for inter-group comparison at a significance level of P < 0.05. Results: There were 26 males and 14 females in the study. The study comprised of 20 participants in each group with mean ages of 33.17 ± 7.46 and 33.45 ± 7.63 y respectively. The results showed that pain improvement was more in group B compared to group A. While the disability and range of motion, including flexion, extension, and lumber right-side flexion, showed a statistically significant improvement (P < 0.05). Mean difference was 1.75 for pain, 8.65 for disability index and -5.15 for lumber flexion, -1.25 for extension, and 1.30 for right side flexion, but no statistical differences (P > 0.05) were found for left lumber flexion (P > 0.05) in both groups. Conclusion: The results of our study show that chronic low back pain can be managed by myofascial release techniques but better effects can be achieved using instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization technique. Keywords: Chronic Low Back Pain; IASTM; Low Back Disability Index; Manual Myofascial Release; Pain; Range of motion; Well-being Citation: Mahmood T, Abrar A, Atif MM, Mahmood W, Batool F. Effect of instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization versus myofascial release therapy for pain, mobility, and disability in chronic low backache patients: a quasi-experimental study. Anaesth. pain intensive care 2024;28(2):452−458; DOI: 10.35975/apic.v28i3.2459 Received: August 28, 2023; Reviewed: December 09, 2023; Accepted: March 23, 2024