Effects of diaphragm muscle treatment in shoulder pain and mobility in subjects with rotator cuff injuries: A dataset derived from a pilot clinical trial

The rotator cuff inflammatory or degenerative pathology is the main cause of shoulder pain. The shoulder and diaphragm muscle have a clear relation through innervation and the connection through myofascial tissue. A prospective, randomized, controlled, single-blind (assessor) pilot clinical trial was performed with a sample size of 27 subjects with rotator cuff injuries and with clinical diagnosis of myofascial pain syndrome at shoulder. The sample were divided into 3 groups of treatment (9 subjects per group): 1. A direct treatment over the shoulder by ischemic compression of myofascial trigger points (MTP) (control / rotator cuff group). 2. Diaphragm manual therapy techniques (diaphragm group). 3. Active diaphragm mobilization by breathing exercises (breathing exercises group). The pain and range of shoulder motion were assessed before and after treatment in all the participants by inclinometry, NRS of pain in shoulder movements and pressure algometry. Methodology and full data analyzing the effect of the three interventions are presented in this article. These data could give a basis for further experiments on revealing the underlying mechanism of action of the visceral manual therapy in reducing the symptoms of shoulder pain.