Application of Fascial Manipulation technique in chronic shoulder pain--anatomical basis and clinical implications

Classical anatomy still relegates muscular fascia to a role of contention. Nonetheless, different hypotheses concerning the function of this resilient tissue have led to the formulation of numerous soft tissue techniques for the treatment of musculoskeletal pain. This paper presents a pilot study concerning the application of one such manual technique, Fascial Manipulation, in 28 subjects suffering from chronic posterior brachial pain. This method involves a deep kneading of muscular fascia at specific points, termed centres of coordination (cc) and centres of fusion (cf), along myofascial sequences, diagonals, and spirals. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) measurement of pain administered prior to the first session, and after the third session was compared with a follow-up evaluation at 3 months. Results suggest that the application of Fascial Manipulation technique may be effective in reducing pain in chronic shoulder dysfunctions. The anatomical substratum of the myofascial continuity has been documented by dissections and the biomechanical model is discussed.