Muscle Relaxation Study – Referring Professionals

Registration for participating in this study is now closed.

What Referring Professionals Need to Know

Thank you for taking the time to review the research study information, and thank you for your consideration of referring a patient or client to the study. Further information about the study itself can be found at www.cygnustransformations.com/research-central/muscle-relaxation-study/.

Participants will be trained in one of two muscle relaxation techniques and will be asked to practice that technique for four weeks. The two muscle relaxation interventions being used in the study are Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) and Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE). TRE involves gentle physical movement which is the equivalent of mild physical exercise. The movements can be modified for individuals who have injuries or balance issues, with a constant goal of no pain. PMR is done in a seated position and involves the systematic tensing and releasing of muscle groups. It has no known side effects.

There is significant co-occurrence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and non-specific chronic low-back pain (nsCLBP) in adults, ranging from 16.0% (Dunn, Passmore, Burke, & Chicoine, 2009) to 25.1% (Loncar, Curic, Mestrovic, Mickovic, & Bilic, 2013) of people being treated for either of the conditions.  Non-specific chronic low-back pain is chronic low-back pain that is not attributable to specific illness or injury. Participants must have been diagnosed with both post-traumatic stress disorder and non-specific chronic low-back pain order to be eligible for the study. To see all of the eligibility requirements, click here.

PMR was created in the 1920s by Edmund Jacobson and has been used extensively with many different populations. There is evidence to support its use for treatment of either PTSD or nsCLBP, but not for treating them concurrently (Coppieters, Cagnie, & Nijs, 2016; de Lorent et al., 2016; Kuhn et al., 2014; Kwekkeboom & Gretarsdottir, 2006; Morone & Greco, 2007).

TRE was developed and introduced by David Berceli in the 1990s for releasing chronically-held muscle tension in the body. It is intended for relieving chronic stress due to trauma, as well as acute stress due to everyday life. To date, published literature on TRE is scarce; however, a body of unpublished research suggests a likelihood that it may be very effective with people who have both PTSD and nsCLBP.

If you would like to read the literature review for this study, please email your request to: bswann@saybrook.edu.

Risks Involved:

There is some risk involved in this research study. When Trauma Releasing Exercises are performed incorrectly, participants may experience more symptoms of nsCLBP. In rare cases, participants may experience more symptoms of PTSD. The training during this research study will include two sets of instruction on how to use the muscle relaxation methods safely, to minimize these risks. Progressive Muscle Relaxation is not known to have any side effects.

If you have concerns about the requirements of the study and whether your patient/client is appropriate, please contact the primary researcher, Beverly Swann, at 925-705-7036 or bswann@saybrook.edu.

You may also complete the optional Healthcare Professional Release Form to indicate any recommendations or restrictions you feel are appropriate.

References:

Coppieters, I., Cagnie, B., & Nijs, J. (2016). Effects of stress and relaxation on. Pain Physician, 19, 119–130.

de Lorent, L., Agorastos, A., Yassouridis, A., Kellner, M., Muhtz, C., Pollack, M. H., … Yeung, A. S. (2016). Auricular acupuncture versus progressive muscle relaxation in patients with anxiety disorders or major depressive disorder: A prospective parallel group clinical trial. Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies, 9(4), 191–199. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jams.2016.03.008

Dunn, A. S., Passmore, S. R., Burke, J., & Chicoine, D. (2009). A cross-sectional analysis of clinical outcomes following chiropractic care in veterans with and without post-traumatic stress disorder. Military Medicine, 174(6), 578–583.

Kuhn, E., Greene, C., Hoffman, J., Nguyen, T., Schmidt, J., Ramsey, K. M., … Wald, L. (2014). Preliminary evaluation of PTSD Coach, a Smartphone app for post-traumatic stress symptoms. Military Medicine, 179(1), 12–18. http://doi.org/10.7205/MILMED-D-13-00271

Kwekkeboom, K. L., & Gretarsdottir, E. (2006). Systematic review of relaxation interventions for pain. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 38(3), 269–277. http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1547-5069.2006.00113.x

Loncar, Z., Curic, G., Mestrovic, A. H., Mickovic, V., & Bilic, M. (2013). Do IL-1B and IL-1RN modulate chronic low back pain in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder?. Collegium Antropologicum, 37(4), 1237–1244.

Morone, N. E., & Greco, C. M. (2007). Mind–body interventions for chronic pain in older adults: A structured review. Pain Medicine, 8(4), 359–375. http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1526-4637.2007.00312.x