The Impact of Muscle Energy Technique and Aromatherapy

The Impact of Muscle Energy Technique and Aromatherapy on Pain, Disability and Sleep Quality in Office Workers With Nonspecific Neck Pain

Individuals with nonspecific neck pain who work at a desk will be included in the study. Individuals will be examined in 3 groups: Muscle energy technique (MET), aromatherapy and control group. All participants will be given home program-style exercises consisting of neck isometric, posture and stretching exercises by a physiotherapist. In addition to exercise, individuals in the MET and aromatherapy groups will be given exercises for 4 weeks, while the control group will be given only exercise. Evaluation questionnaires will be applied to participants at the end of the 0th and 4th weeks. At the end of the study, outcome measures between the groups and before and after data within the groups will be compared.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Neck Pain
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: Muscle Energy Technique; Procedure: Aromatherapy massage

Detailed Description

Nonspecific neck pain (NSBP) can occur without any history of injury or specific pathology related to the musculoskeletal system, or as a result of a postural or mechanical cause. Studies conducted on office workers have shown that working at a desk for long periods of time causes significant pain in the neck region, although not primarily. There are many therapeutic modalities in the treatment of neck pain. However, manual therapy approaches have been increasingly popular in many countries in recent years. Muscle energy technique (MET) is a treatment approach that uses soft tissue or joint manipulation or mobilization to improve the musculoskeletal system and reduce pain, including stretching maneuvers after active muscle contraction and relaxation. The technique, defined as a type of massage application, is used by utilizing physiological properties such as viscoelastic properties of myofascial tissues. MET is among the physiotherapy methods that affect joint range of motion, spinal pain, tissue fluid drainage and proprioception. In the literature, in the study comparing the effects of MET and Thai massage treatment on neck pain, it was stated that their effects on pain were similar, but their effectiveness with different massages and aromatherapy was not investigated. Aromatherapy is another complementary treatment method used in the treatment of musculoskeletal system diseases. It is stated that the components of the essential oils used during aromatherapy massage reach the circulatory system through the lymph and blood vessels in the epidermis and affect the release of neurotransmitters such as dopamine, endorphin, noradrenaline and serotonin, thus reducing pain.Individuals with nonspecific neck pain who work at a desk will be included in the study. Individuals will be examined in 3 groups: Muscle energy technique (MET), aromatherapy and control group. All participants will be given home program-style exercises consisting of neck isometric, posture and stretching exercises by a physiotherapist. In addition to exercise, individuals in the MET and aromatherapy groups will be given exercises for 4 weeks, while the control group will be given only exercise. Evaluation questionnaires will be applied to participants at the end of the 0th and 4th weeks. At the end of the study, outcome measures between the groups and before and after data within the groups will be compared.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 45
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey
  • Ankara, Turkey, 06790
    • Baskent University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age between 35-55 years
• Female
• Office worker
• NP that has persisted for at least six months.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Individuals under the age of 18,
• Those with a history of neck-related surgery,
• Individuals with known serious pathologies (e.g., malignancy, inflammatory disorders, infection),
• Those with a history of trauma or fracture in the cervical spine,
• Individuals showing symptoms of cervical radiculopathy or myelopathy,
• Individuals known to have allergies to the oils to be used,
• Damaged skin,
• Individuals with a history of allergy to lavender and almond,
• Those with a history of respiratory system diseases,
• Individuals for whom massage and manipulation are contraindicated.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Muscle energy technique (MET) Group; The MET group will be given an average of 20 minutes of exercise, 2 days a week for 4 weeks. The muscle energy technique (post isometric relaxation technique) for the upper trapezius and levator scapula muscles will be applied for 3 to 5 repetitions, using 20% of the maximum isometric contraction for 7 to 10 seconds, holding the stretch beyond the resistance barrier for 30 to 60 seconds. Since these muscles are overactive due to muscle imbalances, they will be determined as target muscles. The total treatment period is 4 weeks and 8 sessions.	Procedure: Muscle Energy Technique; Muscle Energy Technique is a form of manual therapy that uses active muscle contraction and relaxation to improve musculoskeletal mechanics and relieve pain.
Active Comparator: Aromatherapy Group; The aromatherapy group will also receive an application 2 days a week for 4 weeks. A 20-minute lavender oil message will be applied to the neck area (with Euploraj and Petrisaj techniques). All aromatherapy interventions will be performed at 23°C. Essential oils will be purchased from a certified organic and tested company and will be used diluted. The application will be applied to the participants in the face-down position, with the arms in the inverted T position for 15 minutes. The application will be applied twice a week for 4 weeks.	Procedure: Aromatherapy massage; Aromatherapy massage refers to a massage to be performed on the neck area with lavender oil.
No Intervention: Control Group; The patients in the control group will be given exercises in the form of a home program consisting of neck isometric, posture and stretching exercises by the physiotherapist. The exercises will start with stretching exercises and continue with neck isometric exercises in a way that does not cause pain. The participants will be asked to do the exercises twice a day, every day of the week for 4 weeks, with 10 repetitions of each movement, and a brochure will be given about the exercises. Evaluation surveys will be applied at the end of the 0th and 4th weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Neck Pain	Visual Analog Scale (VAS) will be used to measure the pain intensity of the participants. It is evaluated by asking the individual to indicate the current situation they feel by drawing a line or a dot on the chart, on a straight line of ten centimeters, the two ends of which are defined by the parameter to be measured in the individual, and the pain intensity in the individual is calculated in this way.	The individuals participating in the study will be evaluated twice: before the application (week 0) and after the application (after 4 weeks).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Neck Disability Index	"Neck Disability Index (NDI) was used to assess the severity of neck disability (ND) in individuals participating in the study (Vernon & Mior, 1991; MacDermid et al., 2009). The index consists of 10 items including pain intensity, personal care, lifting, reading, headaches, concentration, work, driving, sleep, and recreation. Participants rated the impact of neck pain by marking one of six boxes.	The individuals participating in the study will be evaluated twice: before the application (week 0) and after the application (after 4 weeks).
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index	Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index consists of seven subcomponents measuring subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, use of sleep medication, and daytime dysfunction 26	The individuals participating in the study will be evaluated twice: before the application (week 0) and after the application (after 4 weeks).

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Ayça Aytar
• Investigators: Study Director: Ayça AYTAR, Assoc.Prof., Baskent University; Study Chair: Mustafa GÜLŞEN, Assoc.Prof., Baskent University; Study Chair: Selin ÖZEN, Assoc.Prof., Baskent University; Study Chair: Yasemin Kavuncubaşı Genç, Phd Cand, Baskent University; Study Director: Aydan AYTAR, Professor, University of Health Sciences Türkiye

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Hawker GA, Mian S, Kendzerska T, French M. Measures of adult pain: Visual Analog Scale for Pain (VAS Pain), Numeric Rating Scale for Pain (NRS Pain), McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ), Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ), Chronic Pain Grade Scale (CPGS), Short Form-36 Bodily Pain Scale (SF-36 BPS), and Measure of Intermittent and Constant Osteoarthritis Pain (ICOAP). Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2011 Nov;63 Suppl 11:S240-52. doi: 10.1002/acr.20543. No abstract available.
• Phadke A, Bedekar N, Shyam A, Sancheti P. Effect of muscle energy technique and static stretching on pain and functional disability in patients with mechanical neck pain: A randomized controlled trial. Hong Kong Physiother J. 2016 Apr 14;35:5-11. doi: 10.1016/j.hkpj.2015.12.002. eCollection 2016 Dec.
• Buttagat V, Muenpan K, Wiriyasakunphan W, Pomsuwan S, Kluayhomthong S, Areeudomwong P. A comparative study of Thai massage and muscle energy technique for chronic neck pain: A single-blinded randomized clinical trial. J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2021 Jul;27:647-653. doi: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2021.05.007. Epub 2021 May 11.
• Canpolat M, Ortabağ T. Ofis Çalışanlarında Mobil Egzersizin Boyun Ağrısı Üzerine Etkisi. Istanbul Kent University Journal Of Health Sciences.2023;2(3): 22-25.
• Kanchanomai S, Janwantanakul P, Pensri P, Jiamjarasrangsi W. Risk factors for the onset and persistence of neck pain in undergraduate students: 1-year prospective cohort study. BMC Public Health. 2011 Jul 15;11:566. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-11-566.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 15, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 20, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): September 28, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 9, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 9, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): April 17, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 17, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 9, 2025
• Last Verified: April 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: aromatherapy; Lavender Oil; İsometric Contraction
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Neck Pain
• Other Study ID Numbers: KA24/57

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
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No