Pilates to Treat Neck Pain

Effectiveness of Pilates to Treat Mechanical Neck Pain

The neck pain comes from disturbances related to the cervical spine, of multifactorial origin and is considered a frequent problem of disability.

Pilates is a physical conditioning method that has been widely used to improve posture and develop body awareness.

The aim of this study is to assess the impact of the Pilates method in the control of pain, function and quality of life in patients with chronic mechanical neck pain.

Methods: 64 patients with chronic mechanical neck pain will be selected and randomized into two groups: intervention and control. Both groups will be assessed for pain, function, quality of life and medication intake.

The intervention group will hold Pilates sessions for three months, with two sessions per week. The control group will continue with the usual drug treatment. Both groups will be instructed to use 750mg acetaminophen every 6 hours if there is pain, but consumption of the drug will be controlled.

Although the symptoms of neck pain are common in the population, no study has investigated the effects of the Pilates method as a possible treatment for neck pain. The hypothesis is that the Pilates method can offer benefits to these patients.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Mechanical Neck Pain
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Pilates

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 64
• Phase: Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Brazil
  • SP
    • Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil, 04329010
      • Universidade Federal de São Paulo

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• People with diagnosis of chronic mechanical neck pain and symptoms of pain in the lower region of spine, between the occipital and the first thoracic vertebra, for more than three months.
• Pain between 3 and 8 on the numerical pain scale
• Age between 18 and 65
• Both genders
• Agree to take part in the study and sign the terms of agreement

Exclusion Criteria:

• Fibromyalgia
• Previous traumatic injuries in the spine
• Infections and inflammation in the spine cervical pain radiating to upper limbs
• The practice of physical activity started or altered in the last 3 months
• Visual deficiency not corrected by glasses, disturbance in the central nervous system, hearing deficiency making the use of the method impossible.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Pilates Group; The group will realize 2 classes per week, lasting one our, of Pilates under supervision of a trained instructor. The training program will last 3 months.	Other: Pilates
No Intervention: Control group; The patients will keep the drug treatment and will be keep in a waiting list. After the 180 days of study the will be invited to realize the Pilates training.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in pain	Evaluated by visual analogue scale (VAS) from 0 to 10	Baseline, after 45, 90 and 180 days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in function	Evaluated by the Neck Disability Index (score ranges from 0 to 50)	Baseline, after 45, 90 and 180 days
Change in Quality of life	Evaluated by the short form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire	Baseline, after 45, 90 and 180 days
Change in medication intake	Patients fill out a specific form regarding the medication intake	After 45, 90 and 180 days from baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Federal University of São Paulo
• Investigators: Study Chair: Jamil Natour, PHD, Federal University of São Paulo

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• de Araujo Cazotti L, Jones A, Roger-Silva D, Ribeiro LHC, Natour J. Effectiveness of the Pilates Method in the Treatment of Chronic Mechanical Neck Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2018 Sep;99(9):1740-1746. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2018.04.018. Epub 2018 May 9.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: February 1, 2012
• Primary Completion (Actual): August 1, 2012
• Study Completion (Actual): May 1, 2014

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 8, 2013
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 29, 2015
• First Posted (Estimate): May 5, 2015

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): May 5, 2015
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 29, 2015
• Last Verified: April 1, 2015

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Pain; Quality of life; Function; Pilates; Mechanical Neck Pain
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Neck Pain
• Other Study ID Numbers: CEP_UNIFESP-0208/11