[Purpose] The aim of the present was to investigate the short-term effects of a program combining self-massage and home exercise for patients with myofascial pain dysfunction syndrome (MPDS). [Subjects and Methods] In this retrospective study, 63 patients were allocated to the experimental (n = 32) and control (n = 31) groups. Both groups received 6 sessions of treatment with physical modalities over the course of two weeks. The experimental group completed an additional program with a combination of self-massage and home exercise. The outcome measurements included a pain scale, pressure pain threshold (PPT), neck disability index (NDI), patient-specific functional scales (PSFS), and heart rate variability (HRV). The interactions between the groups and over time were analyzed using two-way repeated measures ANOVA. [Results] Only the experimental group demonstrated significant improvements in the pain scale with varying conditions. The PPTs of the trigger points increased significantly in the experimental group, and significant functional improvements in NDI and PSFS were observed in the same group. There were significant increases in high-frequency HRV and high-frequency % in the experimental group. [Conclusion] Treatment with physical modalities plus combination of self-massage and home exercise is more effective than the physical modalities treatment alone.

The purpose of this study was to identify the minimal detectable change (MDC) of the Sollerman hand function test (SHT) for patients with burned hands. Twelve subjects were studied, giving a total of 21 burned hands (10 right hands and 11 left hands). Each subject received two sessions of SHT assessment, held at 7- to 10-day intervals. Three raters were recruited to observe and assign scores for the patients' performance during the tests. The MDC was calculated based on standard measurement error, and the intraclass correlation coefficient was applied to examine relative reliability. Results showed that both intra- and interrater MDCs were acceptable (6.7 and 6.9 points, respectively) and that both intra- and interrater relative reliabilities were excellent (intraclass correlation coefficients = 0.98). According to this study, the SHT was found to have appropriate MDC and relative reliability in monitoring changes over time for patients with burned hands. The MDCs of SHT calculated in this study are useful in determining whether any change in score is the result of more than random error.

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