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Healthy VolunteersNCT07904858

Soft Tissue Relaxation in Trumpet Players

A study testing Integrated soft tissue relaxation (IASTM + manual release) in people with Healthy Volunteers and Muscle Tension, run by National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences at 1 site in Taiwan.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

This single-group pretest-posttest study examined the immediate effects of a single session of integrated soft tissue relaxation, combining instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) and manual release techniques, on pulmonary function, resting breathing pattern, trumpet-playing acoustic performance, and… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 20 to 50 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Healthy Volunteers, Muscle Tension
What is being tested?
Integrated soft tissue relaxation (IASTM + manual release)
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
15 participants
Where
1 siteTaiwan
Study dates
10 Sep 2025to 17 Sep 2025
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 20 to 50 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult

Who may be able to join

  • Adults aged 20-50 years
  • At least 5 years of trumpet-playing experience
  • Current practice or performance within the past 6 months
  • No acute respiratory disease or major chronic illness
  • Willing to provide written informed consent

Who cannot join

  • Recent respiratory tract infection (e.g., common cold, acute asthma exacerbation) or clearly abnormal pulmonary function
  • History of cardiovascular, neuromuscular, or severe neck, shoulder, or thoracic disorders
  • Allergy to massage oil or lubricants
  • Unable or unwilling to complete the study procedures

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Taiwan1 site
  • National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, Department of Exercise and Health Science

    Taipei, Taiwan, 112303

Other trials in Taiwan

About this study

Official title: Investigating the Effects of Soft Tissue Mobilization on Respiratory Muscle Function and Playing Performance in Trumpet Players

This single-group pretest-posttest study examined the immediate effects of a single session of integrated soft tissue relaxation, combining instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) and manual release techniques, on pulmonary function, resting breathing pattern, trumpet-playing acoustic performance, and perceived exertion in experienced trumpet players.

Read the detailed description

Brass players experience sustained high respiratory and orofacial muscle load. Fifteen healthy adult trumpet players with at least 5 years of playing experience completed baseline assessments, received one 15-20 min session of integrated soft tissue relaxation targeting the perioral, cervicothoracic, intercostal, diaphragmatic, and abdominal regions (IASTM combined with manual release; intensity 3-6 on a 0-10 participant-rated pressure scale), and repeated the same assessments immediately afterwards. Outcomes were forced pulmonary function and resting breathing pattern (CHEST HI-801 spirometer), acoustic features of four standardized playing tasks (automated pYIN-based analysis), and rating of perceived exertion (Borg 6-20).

This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Fu Jen Catholic University (C113180) on July 14, 2025, and data collection took place on September 10-17, 2025. The study was registered retrospectively after completion. Maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressures were listed in the approved protocol but could not be measured because the measurement module was unavailable during the data collection period.

Being tested
Integrated soft tissue relaxation (IASTM + manual release)
Keywords
Manual therapy, Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization, Breathing pattern, Pulmonary function, Musicians, Pitch stability

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Integrated soft tissue relaxation (IASTM + manual release)Other

    Delivered by one trained practitioner according to a written protocol. Pressure was applied during exhalation and eased during inhalation, with intensity titrated to a participant-reported pressure of 3-6 on a 0-10 scale.

Study groups in NCT07904858
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Integrated soft tissue relaxationExperimentalA single 15-20 min session of IASTM combined with manual release applied in a top-to-bottom sequence to the perioral, cervicothoracic, shoulder girdle, intercostal, diaphragmatic, and abdominal regions.
Receives: Other: Integrated soft tissue relaxation (IASTM + manual release)

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Forced Vital Capacity (FVC)

    FVC in liters (L), measured with a CHEST HI-801 spirometer.

    Measured: Baseline (immediately before) and immediately after the single intervention session (same day)

  2. Resting Minute Ventilation

    Minute ventilation during quiet breathing in liters per minute (L/min), measured with a CHEST HI-801 spirometer.

    Measured: Baseline (immediately before) and immediately after the single intervention session (same day)

  3. Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 Second (FEV1)

    FEV1 in liters (L), measured with a CHEST HI-801 spirometer.

    Measured: Baseline (immediately before) and immediately after the single intervention session (same day)

  4. Peak Expiratory Flow (PEF)

    PEF in liters per second (L/s), measured with a CHEST HI-801 spirometer.

    Measured: Baseline (immediately before) and immediately after the single intervention session (same day)

  5. Maximal Voluntary Ventilation (MVV)

    MVV in liters per minute (L/min), measured with a CHEST HI-801 spirometer.

    Measured: Baseline (immediately before) and immediately after the single intervention session (same day)

  6. Resting Tidal Volume

    Tidal volume during quiet breathing in liters (L), measured with a CHEST HI-801 spirometer.

    Measured: Baseline (immediately before) and immediately after the single intervention session (same day)

  7. Resting Respiratory Rate

    Respiratory rate during quiet breathing in breaths per minute, measured with a CHEST HI-801 spirometer.

    Measured: Baseline (immediately before) and immediately after the single intervention session (same day)

  8. Ventilatory Reserve

    Ventilatory reserve in percent (%), calculated by the CHEST HI-801 spirometer from resting minute ventilation relative to MVV.

    Measured: Baseline (immediately before) and immediately after the single intervention session (same day)

Secondary outcomes (8)
  1. Standard Deviation of Fundamental Frequency During Sustained Note

    Standard deviation of the fundamental frequency in hertz (Hz) during a sustained G4 note, extracted with automated pYIN-based acoustic analysis.

    Measured: Baseline (immediately before) and immediately after the single intervention session (same day)

  2. Mean Fundamental Frequency During Sustained Note

    Mean fundamental frequency in hertz (Hz) during a sustained G4 note, extracted with automated pYIN-based acoustic analysis.

    Measured: Baseline (immediately before) and immediately after the single intervention session (same day)

  3. Lowest Attainable Pitch

    Lowest fundamental frequency in hertz (Hz) reached during a descending pitch-range task.

    Measured: Baseline (immediately before) and immediately after the single intervention session (same day)

  4. Maximal loudness

    Peak sound level in decibels relative to full scale (dBFS) during a G major arpeggio played at maximal controllable loudness.

    Measured: Baseline (immediately before) and immediately after the single intervention session (same day)

  5. Highest Attainable Pitch (Hz)

    Highest fundamental frequency in hertz (Hz) reached during an ascending pitch-range task.

    Measured: Baseline (immediately before) and immediately after the single intervention session (same day)

  6. Highest Attainable Pitch (MIDI Semitones)

    Highest pitch reached during the ascending pitch-range task, converted to MIDI semitone units.

    Measured: Baseline (immediately before) and immediately after the single intervention session (same day)

  7. Rating of perceived exertion

    Rating of perceived exertion on the Borg 6-20 scale (minimum 6, maximum 20; higher scores indicate greater perceived exertion, i.e., a worse outcome), rated immediately after a high-register melody task.

    Measured: Baseline (immediately before) and immediately after the single intervention session (same day)

  8. Sustained-note duration

    Duration in seconds (s) of a sustained G4 note played as long as possible.

    Measured: Baseline (immediately before) and immediately after the single intervention session (same day)

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted29 Oct 2026
  2. Study start10 Sep 2025
  3. Primary completion17 Sep 2025
  4. Study completion17 Sep 2025

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Basic science
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Model description
All participants completed baseline assessments, received one session of integrated soft tissue relaxation, and were reassessed immediately afterwards.
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
15 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT07904858
Sponsor's protocol ID
C113180
Status last verified
Oct 2026
First submitted
8 Oct 2026
Last updated
29 Oct 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No: Individual participant data will not be shared because participants consented to the use of their data only for this study, as approved by the ethics committee.

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Integrated soft tissue relaxation (IASTM + manual release) in people with Healthy Volunteers and Muscle Tension, run by National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences at 1 site in Taiwan.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 29 Oct 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Taiwan. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) (time frame: Baseline (immediately before) and immediately after the single intervention session (same day)). The study lists 8 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 29 Oct 2026.

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