Effects of Instrument-Assisted Cross Fiber Massage on Ligament Healing

Ligament injuries are common clinical disorders, thus there is a need to establish the effects of conservative treatment alternatives. Soft tissue mobilization techniques, such as massage, are manual therapy interventions used to treat connective tissue conditions. Cross fiber massage is a type of deep tissue massage. Instrument-assisted cross fiber massage (IACFM) uses a rigid device to help deliver the physical force to the tissue. Using an established rodent model, IACFM-treated injured medial collateral knee ligaments demonstrated improved biomechanical and histological properties as compared to contralateral, non-treated injured ligament controls during early healing. Subsequent studies revealed an increase in regional blood flow and possible angiogenesis in IACFM- treated hindlimbs. These findings help to elucidate the beneficial effects of a cost-effective and readily available manual therapy approach.