Development of Standard Guidelines for Relaxation Exercises in Patients With Chronic Neck Pain and Determination of Their Effectiveness

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Exercise: Average of 10 minutes relaxation exercises guided with a standard audio record based on reciprocal and autogenic muscle inhibition, proprioceptive training and postural training.

Sham (No Treatment): This group take no treatment between actual before and after measurements.

Study summary

The goal of this observational study is to determine whether relaxation exercises performed before cranio-cervical flexion can reduce superficial neck muscle activation (specifically sternocleidomastoid and upper trapezius) in individuals with neck pain.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Does performing relaxation exercises prior to cranio-cervical flexion reduce sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle activation?
* Does it reduce upper trapezius muscle activation during the standing?

Researchers will compare the group performing relaxation exercises before cranio-cervical flexion to the group performing only cranio-cervical flexion to see if there is a measurable difference in superficial neck muscle activation.

Participants will:

* Perform cranio-cervical flexion exercises.
* Perform relaxation exercises prior to the cranio-cervical flexion (intervention group only).
* Undergo surface EMG measurements to assess muscle activity.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Numerical Pain Rating Scale — At enrollment (pre-intervention) and immediately after the relaxation exercise intervention or sham intervention (Day 1)
  On the numerical pain scale, the patient will be asked, "0 means no pain at all, 10 means unbearable pain, representing the worst pain/unbearable pain you have ever experienced. On a scale of 0 to 10, how would you rate your pain?"
• Turkish Version of Core Outcome Measure Index for Neck Pain — At enrollment (pre-intervention)
  The first question consists of two 10-point numerical pain scales that ask about neck and arm-shoulder pain. Whichever of these two questions receives a higher response is used. The other five questions are five point Likert-type response questions. The six items cover five dimensions: pain intensity (neck and arm/shoulder pain), neck-related function, symptom-specific well-being, overall quality of life, and disability (social and work). The total score is calculated by taking the average of all responses. To form the Core Outcome Measure Index summary score, each of the dimension scores is transformed to a 0-10 scale and these are then averaged to give a score ranging from 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating a worse status.
• EMG Activation Level of Sternocleidomastoid Muscle During Craniocervical Flexion Maneuver — At enrollment (pre-intervention) and immediately after the relaxation exercise intervention (Day 1)
  EMG Activation Level of Sternocleidomastoid Muscle During Craniocervical Flexion Maneuver standardized with Stabilizer Pressure Biofeedback Device
• EMG Activation Level of Upper Trapezius Muscle During Standing Still — At enrollment (pre-intervention) and immediately after the relaxation exercise intervention (Day 1)
  EMG Activation Level of Upper Trapezius Muscle During Standing Still

Trial sites (1)

More Balikesir University trials in Turkey