Robert Schleip

Robert Schleip
Technical University of Munich | TUM · Conservative & Rehabilitative Orthopedics

Prof. Dr. (PhD), Dipl.Psych (MA)

About

213
Publications
190,866
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4,883
Citations
Introduction
Director, Fascia Research Group (Techn. Univ. Munich & Ulm University, Germany); Research Director, European Rolfing Association e.V.; Founding Director, Fascia Research Society.
Additional affiliations
August 2019 - present
Professorship of Conservative & Rehabilitative Orthopedics; Technical University; Munich
Position
  • Research Associate
January 2005 - December 2013
Ulm University

Publications

Publications (213)
Article
Die Bandscheibe. Erst als sein Rücken kapu!ging, begann unser Autor, ihn richtig zu verstehen. Einblicke in eine wundersame Region unseres Körpers, die ziemlich viel zu tragen hat-und dabei Hilfe braucht. Von Moritz Aisslinger Aus der ZEIT Nr. 52/2024 4. Dezember 2024 Ob er gute Übungen für einen gesunden Rücken kenne? Robert Schleip, Forscher im B...
Article
Full-text available
Background The posture of performance-oriented sport climbers adapts in a way that likely promotes the development of low back pain. The thoracolumbar fascia, while also contributing to performance, seems to be involved in that process. Furthermore, there has been evidence of the stiffening of the fascial structures in disorders associated with neg...
Article
Background Dental trauma (DT) and falls have shown to be associated. On the other hand, postural balance is associated with falls and depends on the integration of the body's regulatory systems. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential relationship between DT and alteration of orthostatic balance in children. Methods This was a popul...
Article
Full-text available
Introduction Athletic training requires both challenging stimuli for adaptation and sufficient recovery for improved performance. While cold water immersion (CWI) is already a popular recovery method, handheld percussive massage (PM) devices have also gained popularity in recent years. This study aims to assess the effects of CWI and PM on performa...
Article
Introduction: Instrument-assisted manual therapy (IAMT) is suitable for optimizing movement prerequisites, such as range of motion, flexibility, microcirculation, and pain inhibition along myofascial chains, potentially leading to a reduction in hamstring injuries. To date, however, IAMT’s modes of action remain largely unclear. This study aimed to...
Article
Full-text available
Reduced shear strain and deformability of the thoracolumbar fascia has been linked to low back pain. A number of ultrasound examination methods have been developed for laboratory rather than clinical practice. The aim of this study was to examine the reliability and discriminative validity (patients vs. healthy individuals) of an ultrasound (US) me...
Research Proposal
Full-text available
Possibility for Master's thesis or doctoral thesis etc. As part of an interdisciplinary research project, we are looking for a motivated person on the topic of "Contraindications and potential risks of foam rolling-medical survey of various specialities" Who are we? We are an interdisciplinary working group made up of employees from various Ge...
Research Proposal
Full-text available
Possibility for Master's thesis or doctoral thesis etc. As part of an interdisciplinary research project, we are looking for a motivated person on the topic of "Contraindications and potential risks of foam rolling-medical survey of various specialities" Who are we? We are an interdisciplinary working group made up of employees from various German...
Article
Full-text available
Recent studies have shown that the extramuscular connective tissue (ECT) is thickened and stiffened in delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). However, contrarily to the normal population, severe DOMS is rare in athletes or highly trained individuals. The present randomized, controlled trial therefore aimed to investigate pain as well as microcircula...
Poster
Full-text available
INTRODUCTION: Indentometry, namely the measurement of the mechanical properties of the myofascial tissue caused by the application of a compressive force to the underlying structures, is a recently developed non-invasive, low cost, and reliable method to evaluate tissue stiffness. Among the contemporary topics included in the Bad Ragaz Ring Method...
Conference Paper
INTRODUCTION: Indentometry, namely the measurement of the mechanical properties of the myofascial tissue caused by the application of a compressive force to the underlying structures, is a recently developed non-invasive, low cost, and reliable method to evaluate tissue stiffness [1]. Among the contemporary topics included in the Bad Ragaz Ring Met...
Preprint
Full-text available
Introduction: The posture of performance-oriented sport climbers adapts, which probably promotes thedevelopment of low back pain (LBP). In addition to its contribution to performance, the thoracolumbarfascia is seen as a contributor to this process. Furthermore, fascial structures also stiffen in negativeemotional conditions. Purpose: To investig...
Preprint
Full-text available
Reduced shear strain and deformability of the thoracolumbar fascia has been linked to low back pain. A number of ultrasound examination methods have been developed for laboratory rather than clinical practice. The aim of this study was to examine the reliability and discriminative validity (patients vs. healthy individuals) of an ultrasound (US) me...
Article
Full-text available
Background: Most methods for soft tissue stiffness assessment require high financial resources, significant technical effort, or extensive therapist training. The PACT Sense device was developed to be used in a wide range of applications and user groups. However, to date, there are no data on its validity and reliability. The aim of this study was...
Preprint
Objective: To examine the reliability and discriminative validity (patients vs. healthy individuals) of an ultrasound (US) measurement method for the quantification of thoracolumbar fascia deformation (TLFD). Design: Cross-sectional study with US assesment and rater blinding. Setting: Manual therapy clinic, university laboratory. Participants:...
Article
Full-text available
To investigate whether myofascial reorganization® in the trapezius muscle (MRT) improves peripheral muscle oxygenation and pain tolerance and decreases neck disability index (NDI) scores in individuals with and without nonspecific neck pain (NP) using a double-blind randomized controlled trial. Seventy-five subjects were equally and randomly assign...
Article
Full-text available
(1) Background: The isokinetic measurement (IM) of the leg muscles is well established but costly, whereas the Bunkie Test (BT) is a rarely investigated but easy-to-conduct functional test to evaluate the total posterior chain. Although the tests differ in aim and test structures, both have their justification in the assessment process. Therefore,...
Article
Full-text available
Background: The subject of the study was the effect of a multicomponent program (Mobility Routine) on muscular and fascial stiffness, flexibility, subjective well-being, and body perception. Methods: The assumption was that high physical stress affects myofascial structures and joint range of motion. The assessment of myofascial stiffness employed...
Article
Full-text available
Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) of the lower back is considered a surrogate for acute low back pain (aLBP) in experimental studies. Of note, it is often unquestioningly assumed to be muscle pain. To date, there has not been a study analyzing lumbar DOMS in terms of its pain origin, which was the aim of this study. Sixteen healthy individuals (...
Article
Full-text available
Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) of the lower back is considered a surrogate for acute low back pain (aLBP) in experimental studies. Of note, it is often unquestioningly assumed to be muscle pain. To date, there has not been a study analyzing lumbar DOMS in terms of its pain origin, which was the aim of this study. Sixteen healthy individuals (...
Article
Full-text available
Introduction: Health professionals and bodyworkers may be pivotal in promoting prevention programs, providing tailored advice and guidance to patients’ adherence to self-care strategies, such as physical activity. Contemporary evidence encourages manual therapists to involve patients in decision-making and treatment procedures integrating passive a...
Preprint
Full-text available
The research methods were used to investigate the following questions: Does a mobility training intervention change tissue stiffness, joint range of motion, and compensate for possible imbalances? Do the interventions influence the pressure pain threshold and the overall well-being?
Article
Faszien waren lange Zeit ein wenig beachtetes Gewebe, bis um sie ein regelrechter Hype entstand. In der Forschung verdeutlicht sich ihre Bedeutung für die Gesundheit des Bewegungsapparates. So zeigt es sich, dass Faszien eine wichtige Rolle bei der Entstehung von Beschwerden wie Rückenschmerzen oder bei Zerrverletzungen spielen. In der Sportmedizin...
Article
Full-text available
Background Axial spondyloarthritis (AxSpA) produces structural changes that cause alterations in body functions. One tissue that seems to have a predictive role in the etiology and progression of the disease is the soft tissue, particularly the fascia. However, little is known about the use of myofascial induction in people with AxSpA, and clinical...
Article
Full-text available
(1) Background: Globally, neck pain is prevalent, affecting around thirty percent of the population annually. To better understand the influence of pain on the myofascial layers, the present study investigated these on the upper trapezius muscle in unilateral, more severe neck pain. (2) Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study. Forty patient...
Preprint
Full-text available
Background. Most methods for soft tissue stiffness assessment require high financial resources, significant technical effort, or extensive therapist training. The PACT Sense device was developed to be used in a wide range of applications and user groups. However, to date, there are no data on its validity and reliability. The aim of this study was...
Article
Full-text available
Running is one of the most popular sports worldwide motivating many non-athletic people to start new physical activities. But especially novice runners are at risk to develop injuries as they tend to run with prejudicial posture. Hence, there has been considerable research to identify factors improving running performance. One of these factors is t...
Preprint
Full-text available
(1) Background: Globally, neck pain is prevalent, affecting around thirty percent of the population annually. To better understand the influence of pain on the myofascial layers, the present study investigated these on the upper trapezius muscle in unilateral, more severe neck pain. (2) Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study. Forty patient...
Article
Recently, it has been shown that the extramuscular connective tissue (ECT) is likely involved in delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of maximal trunk extension eccentric exercise (EE) on ECT thickness, self-reported DOMS, ECT stiffness, skin temperature, and possible correlati...
Article
Full-text available
Recently, it has been shown that the extramuscular connective tissue (ECT) is likely involved in delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of maximal trunk extension eccentric exercise (EE) on ECT thickness, self-reported DOMS, ECT stiffness, skin temperature, and possible correlati...
Poster
Full-text available
Immediate effects of myofascial release treatment on lumbar microcirculation: a randomized, placebo controlled trial
Article
Full-text available
Background Alterations in posture, lumbopelvic kinematics, and movement patterns are commonly seen in patients with low back pain. Therefore, strengthening the posterior muscle chain has been shown to result in significant improvement in pain and disability status. Recent studies suggest that thoracolumbar fascia (TLF) has a major impact on the mai...
Article
Background: Assessment of myofascial tissue stiffness have a role in identifying physical impairments in plantar fasciopathy (PF). It is still unclear which specific functional and tissue differences exist between individuals with PF. Aim: To compare myofascial stiffness of plantar fascia, Achilles tendon, and triceps surae between symptomatic a...
Article
Full-text available
Laser therapeutic applications, such as the use of high energy lasers (HILT), are widely used in physical therapy, but basic studies on the mechanisms of action of HILT on tendinous/ligamentous tissue are largely lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate microcirculatory changes of the patellar tendon by HILT. 21 healthy volunteers were inc...
Article
Teil 1 der 2-teiligen Artikelserie zu diesem Thema. Teil 2 erscheint in der nächsten Ausgabe des Journals.
Article
Full-text available
Purpose: Fascial changes in hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS), a heritable connective tissue disorder, can be used visualized with sonoelastography. The purpose of this study was to explore the inter-fascial gliding characteristics in hEDS. Methods: In 9 subjects, the right iliotibial tract was examined with ultrasonography. Tissue displ...
Chapter
Full-text available
Fascia and muscles interact in the living organism in different ways, depend-ing on the load on this complex. In an energy conservation mode, the fascia elements are stretched and then recoiled without a strong muscle contrac-tion. In a power amplification mode, the fascia is stretched by a rapid concen-tric muscle contraction and subsequent recoil...
Article
Full-text available
(1) Background: Inflammatory processes in the thoracolumbar fascia (TLF) lead to thickening, compaction, and fibrosis and are thought to contribute to the development of nonspecific low back pain (nLBP). The blood flow (BF) of fascial tissue may play a critical role in this process, as it may promote hypoxia-induced inflammation. The primary object...
Article
Full-text available
Background: Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) is thought to alter fluid dynamics in human soft tissue. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of IASTM on the thoracolumbar fascia (TLF) on the water content of the lumbar myofascial tissue. Methods: In total, 21 healthy volunteers were treated with IASTM. Before...
Article
Full-text available
Changes in the mechanical properties (i.e., stiffness) of soft tissues have been linked to musculoskeletal disorders, pain conditions, and cancer biology, leading to a rising demand for diagnostic methods. Despite the general availability of different stiffness measurement tools, it is unclear as to which are best suited for different tissue types...
Article
Full-text available
Background: Instrument-assisted manual therapy (IAMT) is indicated to improve flexibility, reduce pain, and induce hyperaemia locally and along myofascial chains. The underlying effects are largely unclear. This randomised, placebo-controlled pilot study aimed to gain first insights into these effects, primarily on the structural level, through ul...
Article
Full-text available
Background: The thoracolumbar fascia (TLF) is thought to play a role in the development of LBP, but it is not yet clear which factor of TLF changes is a cause and which is an effect. Therefore, some studies used the cross-correlation function (CCR) to reveal time-dependent relationships between biomechanical and neuromotor factors. Methods: Ten pat...
Preprint
Full-text available
Background: Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) is thought to alter fluid dynamics in human soft tissue. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of IASTM on the thoracolumbar fascia (TLF) on the water content of the lumbar myofascial tissue. Methods: 21 healthy volunteers were treated with IASTM. Before and after t...
Preprint
Full-text available
Background: Inflammatory processes in the thoracolumbar fascia lead to thickening, compaction, and fibrosis and are thought to contribute to the development of nonspecific low back pain (nLBP). The circulation of fascial tissue may play a critical role in this process, as it may promote hypoxia-induced inflammation. This study examined the influenc...
Preprint
Full-text available
Inflammatory processes in the thoracolumbar fascia lead to thickening, compaction, and fibrosis and are thought to contribute to the development of nonspecific low back pain (nLBP). The blood circulation of fascial tissue may play a critical role in this process, as it may promote hypoxia-induced inflammation. This study examined the influence of t...
Article
Full-text available
Background: Recent work has investigated significant force transmission between the components of myofascial chains. Misalignments in the body due to fascial thickening and shortening can therefore lead to complex compensatory patterns. For the treatment of such nonlinear cause-effect pathology, comprehensive neuromusculoskeletal therapy such as t...
Article
The estimated number of nerve endings in the body-wide fascial system is 250 million. Compared with the estimated 200 million nerve endings in the skin, this suggests the human fascial network constitutes, in fact, our richest sensory organ. Research shows that emotional stress may exert significant influences on the expression of m myofascial pain...
Preprint
Full-text available
Laser therapeutic applications, such as the use of high energy lasers (HILT), are widely used in physical therapy, but basic studies on the mechanisms of action of HILT on tendinous/ligamentous tissue are largely lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate microcirculatory changes of the patellar tendon by HILT. 21 healthy volunteers were tre...
Article
Full-text available
Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women. Treatments can lead to complications modifying upper limbs movement patterns and generating pain and functionality loss. Kinesiotherapy and myofascial reorganization (MR) have shown positive effects reducing chronic pain and improving upper limbs function. We hypothesize tha...
Preprint
Full-text available
Background: The thoracolumbar fascia (TLF) is thought to play a role in the development of LBP, but it is not yet clear which factor of TLF changes is a cause and which is an effect. Therefore, some studies used the cross-correlation function (CCR) to reveal time-dependent relationships between biomechanical and neuromotor factors. Methods: Ten pat...
Article
Full-text available
Background: Recent work has examined an association between leg length discrepancy (LLD) and low back pain. Myofascial release (MFR) techniques are thought to be frequently applied in the treatment of chronic and acute low back pain (LBP). The purpose of this study was to evaluate a practical measure of LLD and the feasibility of an MFR technique i...
Preprint
Full-text available
Changes in the mechanical properties (i.e., stiffness) of soft tissues have been linked to musculoskeletal disorders, pain conditions, and cancer biology, leading to a rising demand for diagnostic methods. Despite the general availability of different stiffness assessment tools (SAT), it is unclear as to which are best suited for different tissue t...
Preprint
Full-text available
Background: Recent work has investigated significant force transmission between the components of myofascial chains. Misalignments in the body due to fascial thickening and shortening can therefore lead to complex compensatory patterns. For the treatment of such nonlinear cause-effect pathology, a comprehensive neuro-musculoskeletal therapy such as...
Article
Full-text available
Changes in tissue stiffness are associated with pathological conditions such as myofascial pain and increased risk of muscle injury. Furthermore, they have been shown to modify performance indicators such as running economy or jump height. Indentometry is an affordable way to assess tissue stiffness. However, to date, there is a paucity of studies...