Effects of Cervical Extension Traction With & Without Modified Cervical and Shoulder Retraction Exercises in Neck Pain

May 23, 2022 updated by: Riphah International University

Comparative Effects of Cervical Extension Traction Exercises With and Without Modified Cervical and Shoulder Retraction Exercises on Pain, Disability and Cobb's Angle in Patients With Non-specific Neck Pain

The study aims to explore whether the modified cervical and shoulder retraction exercise program restores cervical sagittal alignment and reduces neck pain in patients with non-specific neck pain.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

Neck pain is a musculoskeletal system disorder that causes social and economic loss by reducing the quality of life (QOL) of the individual, and its prevalence varies from 16.7 to 75.1% in the adult population. Non-specific neck pain (NNP) is a symptom related to a postural or mechanical cause. NNP is also associated with loss of cervical curvature. In healthy spines, the axial load along the cervical spine is supported along the ventral column of the spine. However, in spines with the loss of lordosis, the load moves more anteriorly, which causes neck pain. Cervical exercise has been shown to be an effective treatment for neck pain and cervical alignment, but there is still a need for more clinical trials evaluating the effectiveness of the exercise approach. It seems reasonable to assume that naturally good neck muscle strength and range of motion are likely to be protective factors against neck pain.

As per previous research, the effects of exercise therapy on non-specific neck pain have been examined but there is limited literature available for use of cervical and shoulder retraction exercises in patients with nonspecific neck pain. Most of the studies have been done with neck isometrics, manual mobilization, and deep cervical flexors training and there is less scope of practicing cervical extension traction in contrast with modified cervical and shoulder retraction exercises. Previous research is limited by no use of a control group in a modified retraction exercise regime. To fill this literature gap this study is proposed which will focus on the clinical significance of modified cervical and shoulder retraction exercises on pain, disability, and Cobb's angle in the management of non-specific neck pain.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Anticipated)

22

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • Punjab
      • Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, 54000
        • Physiotherapy department Services Hospital Lahore
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Fatima Saqib, MSPT-OM

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

25 years to 50 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Neck pain history
  • Patients with Lateral Cervical Radiograph
  • Patients who agreed for a follow up of 6 weeks

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Congenital abnormalities e.g. torticollis
  • Past surgical history of cervical spine
  • Positive VBI sign
  • Patients with inflammatory or rheumatic diseases
  • Already undergoing physiotherapy treatment

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Modified Cervical and Shoulder Retraction exercises
Cervical extension traction protocol will be added as standard treatment. Then, patients either sit or stand in an upright position while pushing their chin backward and simultaneously raising their head within the pain-free range, then, in a seated or standing position, patients will maintain an upright posture and try to pull back their shoulders and extend their neck within the pain-free range.
11 patients will receive cervical traction and modified cervical and shoulder retraction exercises (10 to 12 repetitions). The total treatment session will be of 20-25 minutes with a total intervention period of 6 weeks with 3 sessions per week on alternative days.
Active Comparator: Cervical Extension Traction exercises
Here, patients will receive Cervical Extension Traction exercises as standard treatment. Cervical extension traction includes a protocol in which traction will be applied within the extension range of the cervical region in full spine position.
11 patients will receive cervical traction force for 10 seconds and extend the cervical spine. The total treatment session will be of 20-25 minutes with a total intervention period of 6 weeks with 3 sessions per week on alternative days

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
NPRS for pain
Time Frame: 6th week
The Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) is a subjective measure in which individuals rate their pain on an eleven-point numerical scale. The scale is composed of 0 (no pain at all) to 10 (worst imaginable pain).
6th week
NDI for disability
Time Frame: 6th week
The neck disability index (NDI) has become a standard instrument for measuring self-rated disability due to neck pain. Each of the 10 items scores from 0 to 5. The maximum score is 50
6th week
Lateral cervical radiograph for Cobb's angle
Time Frame: 6th week
Radiography of a patient provides important spine/posture data, such as segmental and total angles of curvature and sagittal balance. Cobb's angle measurement taken by Lateral Cervical Radiograph.
6th week

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Muhammad Salman Bashir, PhD, Riphah International University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Anticipated)

June 1, 2022

Primary Completion (Anticipated)

January 1, 2023

Study Completion (Anticipated)

January 1, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 23, 2022

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 23, 2022

First Posted (Actual)

May 26, 2022

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 26, 2022

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 23, 2022

Last Verified

May 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • REC/RCR & AHS/22/0117

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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