Deep Friction Massage: Symptomatic

Deep Friction Massage Effects on Pain and Function in Patellar Tendinopathy

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT03255538

Enrollment

Registered

2017-08-21

Start date

2017-08-21

Completion date

2017-11-20

Last updated

2018-03-07

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Tendinopathy

Keywords

patellar tendon

Brief summary

Despite DFM being a widely-used technique and the empirical grounding regarding the importance of the pressure applied, there is no study characterizing the pressure applied during DFM, remaining it a discretion of the physiotherapist. Additionally, it is not known how the amount of pressure applied may influence pain mechanisms or function in the symptomatic patellar tendon. Having this, our objective is to characterize the pressure applied during deep friction massage and evaluate the immediate effects of different pressures applied during deep friction massage in the time until analgesia as well as in function, in patellar tendinopathy.

Interventions

OTHERDFM: Mean pressure

Deep friction massage as described by Dr. James Cyriax, performed with the mean pressure previously obtained in a baseline assessment.

OTHERDFM: Mean pressure - 25%

Deep friction massage as described by Dr. James Cyriax, performed with the mean pressure previously obtained in a baseline assessment decremented by 25%.

OTHERDFM: Mean pressure + 25%

Deep friction massage as described by Dr. James Cyriax, performed with the mean pressure previously obtained in a baseline assessment incremented by 25%.

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

CROSSOVER

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE (Subject)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to 40 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* The participants should have a symptomatic patellar tendon

Exclusion criteria

* History of other previous injuries of the lower limbs; * Intake of medication that could interfere with pain mechanisms; * Presence of any factors or conditions that could interfere with the awareness and sensibility to pain.

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Time until analgesia	10 minutes	Time until self reported sensation of analgesia, controlled by a chronometer, since the application of deep friction massage.
Numeric Pain Rating Scale	20 minutes	Self-reported pain intensity.
Maximal isometric strength of quadriceps	20 minutes	Measure of maximal isometric strength, through a dynamometer.
Knee flexion range of movement	20 minutes	Measure of knee flexion range of movement, through a goniometer

Countries

Portugal

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026