Improved Quality of Life Following Myofascial Release Treatment Case Report of Police Officer

Due to the unpredictable, varied, and often physical nature of law enforcement duties, police officers are at increased risk of work-related bodily injury and psychologically traumatic events. Myofascial release (MFR) technique and myofascial unwinding (MFU) potentially addresses the ill effects, both physical and mental, of the occupation. Fascia is a connective tissue that permeates the human body. Myofascia is described as the connective tissue network that extends three-dimensionally throughout the body, surrounding, supporting, suspending, protecting, connecting, and dividing its muscular, skeletal, and visceral components. Therefore, the purpose of the present case report is to explore the effect of MFR and MFU on the quality of life, pain, and recovery outcomes of a law enforcement officer with a previous traumatic injury.

We reported a case of a 32-year-old male diagnosed with bilateral shoulder and low back pain. The subject was treated with MFR and MFU for 10 x 60-minute treatment sessions. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSIQ) evaluated sleep, the DASH (Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand) outcome measured physical function and symptoms of the shoulders, and the Short Form Survey (SF-36) indicated the quality of life. The subject filled out preintervention and postintervention outcome measures. The application of MFR and MFU resulted in improved scores on all outcome measures. The present case provides supporting evidence of the effectiveness of MFR and MFU as important treatment strategies in improving the quality of life of law enforcement officers.

Keywords:Myofascial release; Myofascial unwinding

Abbreviations:MFR: Myofascial release; MFU: Myofascial unwinding; NP: Non-specific; LBP: Low back pain