【論文摘要】Effect of 6-Week Shoulder-Neck Exercise on Cervical Muscle Functions of Middle-Aged and Older Adults With Chronic Neck Pain

【論文摘要】六週肩頸運動對於慢性頸部疼痛之中年老人頸部肌肉功能的影響

林宜仙(I-Hsien Lin) ； 黃奕清(Yi-Ching Huang) ； 張光華(Kwang-Hwa Chang) ； 鄒志敏(Chih-Min Tsou) ； 陳曉宜(Shiau-Yee Chen) ； 王乾勇(Chien-Yung Wang) ； 張婷方(Ting-Fang Chang)

《物理治療》 43卷2期 (2018/06) Pp. 171-172

https://doi.org/10.6215/FJPT.2018.75.P40

摘要

Background and Purpose: Although neck pain is a common musculoskeletal disorder, there is no consensus on suitable exercise methods for patients with chronic neck pain. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a 6-week shoulder-neck exercise on cervical muscle functions in middle-aged and older adults with chronic neck pain. Methods: A total of 72 subjects with chronic neck pain were randomly allocated to either the experimental group (n = 36; age = 57.3 ± 8.7 years) or the control group (n = 36; age = 58.2 ± 8.2 years). The control group received only traditional physiotherapy, whereas the experimental group received a 6-week shoulder– neck exercise program consisting of traditional physiotherapy and additional cranio-cervical flexion and progressive resistance exercises. The muscle functions of subjects in both groups were tested before (pretest) and after (posttest) the intervention program. The pretest and posttest measured the cranio-cervical flexion test (CCFT) and the superficial cervical muscle strength. Generalized estimating equation (GEE) was used to detect differences in measurements between groups. The significance level was set at p ＜ 0.05. Results: After the intervention, the experimental group showed a 56.48 point improvement in the performance index of the CCFT (p ＜ 0.001), a 1.71- kg improvement in superficial neck flexor strength (p ＜ 0.001), and a 2.52-kg improvement in superficial neck extensor strength (p ＜ 0.001), indicating that in 6-week intervention significantly influenced the improvement of cervical muscle functions. Conclusion: This study confirmed that the 6-week shoulder-neck exercise program can effectively improve cervical muscle function in middle-aged and older adults with chronic neck pain. Clinical Relevance: This study proves the potential benefit of shoulder-neck exercise on deep and superficial neck muscle strength in adults with chronic neck pain. Therefore, this study may serve as a reference for the clinical rehabilitation of adults with chronic neck pain.