Abstract

Introduction

Mechanical neck pain (MNP) is a commonly occurring musculoskeletal condition that is usually managed using electrical modalities, joint mobilization techniques, and therapeutic exercises, but has limited evidence of their efficacy. Pathology (densification) of the deep cervical fascia that occurs due to the increased viscosity of hyaluronic acid (HA) may induce neck pain and associated painful symptoms of the upper quarter region. Fascial manipulation (FM) and yoga poses are considered to reduce the thixotropy of the ground substances of the deep fascia and improve muscle function. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of FM and sequential yoga poses (SYP) when compared to the usual care on pain, function, and oculomotor control in MNP.

Methods

This FaCe-Man trial will recruit 160 patients with subacute and chronic mechanical neck pain diagnosed using predefined criteria. Participants will be randomized to either the intervention group or the usual care group, using a random allocation ratio of 1:1. Patients in the intervention group will receive FM (4 sessions in 4 weeks) and SYP (12 weeks) whereas the standard care group will receive cervical mobilization/ thoracic manipulation (4 sessions in 4 weeks) and therapeutic exercises (12 weeks). The primary outcome is the change in the numeric pain rating scale (NPRS). The secondary outcomes include changes in the patient-specific functional scale and oculomotor control, myofascial stiffness, fear-avoidance behavior questionnaire, and elbow extension range of motion during neurodynamics test 1.

Discussion

If found effective, FM along with SYP investigated in this trial can be considered as a treatment strategy in the management of mechanical neck pain. Considering the magnitude of the problem, and the pragmatic and patient-centered approach to be followed, it is worth investigating this trial.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov CTRI/2020/01/022934. Registered on January 24, 2020 with ctri.nic.in. Clinical Trials Registry – India.

Details

Title
Effectiveness of deep cervical fascial manipulation and yoga postures on pain, function, and oculomotor control in patients with mechanical neck pain: study protocol of a pragmatic, parallel-group, randomized, controlled trial
Author
Raja G, Prabu 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Bhat N, Shyamasunder 2 ; Fernández-de-las-Peñas, César 3 ; Gangavelli, Ranganath 4 ; Davis, Fiddy 5 ; Shankar, Ravi 6 ; Prabhu, Anupama 4 

1  Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Interdisciplinary Centre for Craniofacial and Orofacial pain Research, Department of Exercise and Sports Science, Manipal College of Health Professions, Manipal, India (GRID:grid.411639.8) (ISNI:0000 0001 0571 5193) 
2  Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Department of Orthopedics, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, India (GRID:grid.411639.8) (ISNI:0000 0001 0571 5193) 
3  Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Department of Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine, Madrid, Spain (GRID:grid.28479.30) (ISNI:0000 0001 2206 5938) 
4  Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Department of Physiotherapy, Manipal College of Health Professions, Manipal, India (GRID:grid.411639.8) (ISNI:0000 0001 0571 5193) 
5  Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Department of Exercise and Sports Sciences, Manipal College of Health Professions, Manipal, India (GRID:grid.411639.8) (ISNI:0000 0001 0571 5193) 
6  Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Department of Data Science, Manipal, India (GRID:grid.411639.8) (ISNI:0000 0001 0571 5193) 
Pages
574
Publication year
2021
Publication date
Dec 2021
Publisher
Springer Nature B.V.
e-ISSN
17456215
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-021-05533-w
ProQuest document ID
2730344585
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2021. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.