Comparing the effect of stretching and compression exercises on flexion relaxation ratio of back muscles in patients having deep gluteal syndrome: A randomized trial.

Background: Different treatments have been proposed for patients with deep gluteal syndrome (DGS). Stretching and compression exercises are commonly used to treat DGS.

Objective: To compare the effects of compression or stretching exercises on the flexion-relaxation response (electromyography signals of back muscles) in patients with DGS.

Methods: In this clinical trial with parallel groups, forty-five eligible patients were randomly allocated into three groups; compression exercise (ICE) (n = 15), stretching exercise (ISE) (n = 15) and control group (n = 15). All treatment groups (control, ICE and ISE) underwent 10 sessions of physiotherapy treatment at a frequency of three per week. The flexion-relaxation ratio (FRR) for back muscles was investigated as the primary outcome measure.

Results: No significant differences were detected in FRR of back muscles at the end of the study between three study groups (all p > 0.05). In all groups after interventions, no significant changes in FRR compared to the baseline values were observed (within changes were not significant; all p > 0.05). The pairwise comparisons of the between groups revealed that the disability scores in the ISE group compared to ICE, were significantly lower (F = 5.53; df = 2; P = 0.009).

Conclusion: Neither stretching nor compression exercises affected FRR more than the control group in DGS patients. Between-group analyses suggest that ISE only has a more significant effect on improving the disability of patients with the deep gluteal syndrome.

Clinical Trial Registration: The trial was retrospectively registered in the "IRANIAN" Registry of Clinical Trials (www.irct.ir) on January 10, 2017 as IRCT201604178035N4. URL of the record: https://en.irct.ir/trial/8473.