Stretching exercises combined with ischemic compression in pectoralis minor muscle with latent trigger points: A single-blind, randomized, controlled pilot trial

Background and purpose: Latent trigger points (LTrPs) in the pectoralis minor (PM) muscle lead to muscle tightness. This study aimed to investigate which type of stretching exercise used after ischemic compression (IC) was more effective on LTrPs in the PM muscle. Materials and methods: Forty participants with PM muscle tightness and an LTrP in the PM muscle were divided among groups 1 (IC with modified contract-relax proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching), 2 (IC with static stretching), 3 (IC with myofascial release) and 4 (no intervention). The PM muscle index (PMI), PM length (PML), rounded shoulder posture, pressure pain threshold, pulmonary function, and maximal respiratory pressure were evaluated. Results: Improvement in the PMI and PML was found immediately after the intervention in groups 1 and 3 compared with baseline (p = 0.01). The overall group-by-time interaction in the repeated measures analysis of variance was significant for the PMI in favor of Group 1 (F-1, 36 = 3.53, p = 0.02). Conclusion: IC may be followed by contract-relax PNF stretching to increase the length of PM muscle with LTrPs.