The effect of myofascial release in patients with breast cancer-related lymphedema: a cross-over randomized controlled trial.
Yena Kim, Eun Y Park, Haneul Lee
PMID 36637800WHAT IT FOUND
Adding myofascial release to standard decongestive therapy reduced arm pain and improved shoulder movement more than placebo touch, but it did not shrink arm volume any more than placebo.
Since both groups received decongestive therapy, the volume reduction cannot be credited to the release alone.
Key findings
01Myofascial release produced a greater reduction in upper limb pain than placebo, but there was no significant difference in upper limb volume change between the two.
02Shoulder range of motion improved significantly more with myofascial release than placebo for flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, and external rotation.
03Complex decongestive therapy was applied to both groups, meaning the observed reduction in arm volume in the placebo group cannot be separated from the effect of the myofascial release.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The small sample size of 30 participants limits the precision of the estimates. Carry-over effects from the first intervention period may have persisted despite the four-week washout. The placebo involved light skin touch, which may have had physiological effects beyond a true inert control. Both groups received complex decongestive therapy, making it difficult to isolate the specific contribution of myofascial release to volume reduction. The study did not assess long-term effects beyond 12 weeks.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that myofascial release reduces lymphedema volume. Both the active and placebo groups received complex decongestive therapy, and the volume reduction was not significantly different between the two interventions, meaning the release itself did not add benefit for swelling.