Title : Impact of percussive massage on neck pain in post-menopause women
Abstract:
Introduction: Postmenopause is a significant phase that every woman will go through, this physiological process results in a decrease in the production of estrogen and progesterone hormones, often resulting in a decrease in bone mineral density, degeneration of the cervical spine and pain in this region. Percussive Therapy (PT) has been used to reduce musculoskeletal pain experiences and decrease muscle tissue stiffness.
Objective: To evaluate the impact of percussive massage using a massage gun on neck pain in postmenopausal women treated in the public health system.
Methodology: This is a prospective intervention research with a quantitative approach. The study was developed in the municipality of Ipiranga do Piauí - PI. The sample was of convenience, composed of all the women who attended the places where the research was carried out during the study period and who met the inclusion criteria, a total of 50 patients were included and completed the treatment protocol. Participants underwent assessment one week before starting the treatment protocol. The treatment protocol had 8 sessions of percussive therapy, performed during 4 weeks, with 2 visits per week, 6 measurements of the pressure pain threshold and pain perception were performed, the evaluation of the neck disability was performed at the beginning and at the end of treatment. Results: The average age of the participants corresponded to 52 years, predominant work activity was agriculture and domestic activity, non-alcoholic and non-smokers, practitioners of physical activity, hypertensive, with less than 3 years of menopause, did not use hormone therapy and they had not undergone hysterectomy surgery, were overweight and obese, more than 4 years after the appearance of cervical pain, used medication for cervical pain crises and had never undergone physiotherapeutic treatment for cervical pain. In the evaluation of pain perception using the VAS, the average value of pain perception decreased throughout the treatment. The pressure pain threshold, the mean value obtained, increased statistically significantly. There was evidence of a reduction in neck disability rates at the end of the period evaluated in the study participants.
Conclusion: Treatment with percussive massage had an effect in reducing pain perception and pressure pain threshold. Neck disability improved after percussive massage treatment.
