Myofascial Release With and Without Support Belt for Sacroiliac Joint Pain in Pregnant Females.

Effects of Myofascial Release With and Without Support Belt for Sacroiliac Joint Pain, Activity and Disability in Pregnant Females

This study will be a randomized controlled trial that will include myofascial release interventions with and without a support belt. 34 Patients will be randomly divided into 2 groups. Assessment will be done by using Numeric Pain Rating Scale, Quebec scale for functional disability, and Pelvic girdle pain questionnaire (PGQ).

Sacroiliac joint dysfunction is a particularly common source of pain during pregnancy and is often an undiagnosed cause of low back pain. In this study, the effects of myofascial release with and without a support belt for sacroiliac joint pain and activity in pregnant females will be analyzed. Group A of 17 patients will get a myofascial release technique for up to 600 seconds and total treatment sessions will be 12 in 4 weeks with a support belt a support belt should not be worn for longer than two to three hours at a time and it will be used 4 times a week. Group B of 17 patients will also get a myofascial release technique for up to 600 seconds and total treatment sessions will be 12 in 4 weeks but without a support belt. Data will be collected and analyzed at baseline and at 4 weeks follow-up.

Group A get myofascial release on sacroiliac joint area for up to 600 seconds and total treatment sessions will be 12 in 4 weeks with support belt and a support belt should not be worn for longer than two to three hours at a time and it will be used 4 times a week.

Group B get myofascial release technique to sacroiliac joint area for up to 600 seconds and total treatment sessions will be 12 in 4 weeks but without support belt. Data will be collected and analyzed at baseline and at 4 weeks follow up.

Patients will get myofascial release technique to sacroiliac joint area for up to 600 seconds and total treatment sessions will be 12 in 4 weeks

The support belt will be worn for less than two to three hours at a time and it will be used 4 times a week

The 11-point numeric scale ranges from '0' representing one pain extreme (e.g. "no pain") to '10' representing the other pain extreme (e.g. "pain as bad as you can imagine" or "worst pain imaginable").

The degree of functional disability was estimated using the Quebec scale, assessing 20 routine daily activities on a scale from 0 to 5 (0 = performing activities without difficulty, 1 = performing activities with minimal difficulty, 2 = performing activities with some difficulty, 3 = performing activities with moderate difficulties, 4 = performing activities with greater difficulty, 5 = inability to perform activities). The minimum score was 20 and the maximum score was 100. Higher scores correlate with greater disability.

The Pelvic Girdle Questionnaire (PGQ) was also applied. It was created to assess quality of life in patients with pelvic girdle pain during pregnancy and postpartum. It includes 25 questions, with 20 questions aiming to assess activity and 5 questions examining symptoms. Each question is scored on a 4-point Likert type scale (from 'no problem at all' [0 points] to 'to a large extent' [3 points]). The raw scores are then converted into a final score ranging from 0 to 100 (from best to worst outcomes). The questionnaire's reliability and validity in Turkish have been confirmed.

Inclusion Criteria: Age 20-40 years. 2nd and 3rd trimesters of pregnancy. The diagnosis of SIJ pain based on tenderness localized to the posterior inferior iliac spine bilaterally with provocative maneuvers of the SIJ in posterior pelvic pain provocation/thigh thrust test, compression test, Gaenslen's test and Patrick's Faber test eliciting considerable pain. Positive results from at least three of those provocative tests signified the presence of SIJ pain. Exclusion Criteria: History of rheumatic disease. Lumbar spine disc herniation or back injury. Previous lumbar spine surgery. High risk pregnancy. Any bony or soft tissue systemic disease. Malignancy.

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