An interventional study of Scapular functional training and Cervical isometric exercises in Chronic Pain, sponsored by King Saud University. Completed at 1 site in Saudi Arabia. Open to participants aged 22 Years to 35 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2022-11-23.
Sponsored by King Saud University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
Work-related musculoskeletal disorders have been rising fast around the globe leading to neck pain and scapular muscle dysfunction, contributing to a decrease in neck movements and functional limitations. This study aimed to determine the efficacy of scapular functional exercise (SFE) in combination with cervical isometric exercises (CIE) on neck pain, cervical range of motion, and functional limitations among participants with chronic mechanical neck pain.The study was based on a two-arm parallel group pretest-posttest randomized control trial design. Thirty participants (females 21 and males 9; average age 28.94±3.77 years) were randomly allocated to groups A and B (n=15/group). The group's A and B participants received a common intervention, such as CIE and hot packs. However, group A received the SFE in addition to common interventions. The outcomes, such as neck pain, cervical ROM, and functional limitations, were evaluated using a numeric pain rating scale (NPRS), standard universal goniometer, and neck disability index questionnaire at baseline and 4-week post-intervention. The paired and unpaired t-test was used to analyze the intervention effects on the outcomes within-group and between-group, keeping the significance level alpha set at p\<0.05.
The study hypothesised that adding the scapular functional training to the cervical isometric exercises will be equally effective than cervical isometric exercises alone on managing neck pain, cervical ROM, and functional limitations among participants with chronic mechanical neck pain. The present study is helpful for chronic mechanical neck pain patients and physiotherapist to better understand the effect of incorporation of the scapular functional training in the treatment of neck pain. Therefore, this protocol may be used as a treatment in chronic mechanical neck pain because it alleviates pain, neck disability, improving cervical range of motion in chronic mechanical neck pain.
2,998 studies on the registry are indexed under Chronic Pain; 706 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 30 is below the median of 60 across 2,209 interventional studies indexed under Chronic Pain.
Browse Chronic Pain studies →King Saud University is the lead sponsor of 168 studies on the registry; 21 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Received Scapular functional training and cervical isometric exercises
Other: Scapular functional training · Other: Cervical isometric exercises · Other: Moist heating
Received only isometric cervical exercises and heating
Other: Cervical isometric exercises · Other: Moist heating
The scapular functional training consists of press up and push up plus. Press up was done in sitting position on the training bench, feet on the floor with straight arm and the palms on the edge of the bench fingers pointing forward and then lift off and dip down just in front of the seat by moving the shoulder girdle. Progression is done by placing weight on the thigh. Push-up plus exercise started from a push up position on the hand, feet or knees and keeping the torso rigid by bracing the abdominals followed by protracting the scapula as high as possible. Progression is done moving from knees to the feet or adding resistance on the upper back. The training continued for three sessions per week for four weeks.
The isometric neck exercises taught to all the participants to perform in neutral sitting positions at home thrice a day for 15-days continuously. The sequences of exercises were shoulder circling in clockwise and anticlockwise direction, scapular retraction with cervical retraction, neck flexion, extension, either side of lateral bending/flexion, left and right rotation. Each exercise follows a set of 10 repetition of maximum voluntary contraction with a progressive hold time of 3, 5, 7, and 10 seconds depending on the severity of pain and tolerance of the participants.
A hydrocollator moist heat packs was applied over back of the neck in supine position to receive optimal heating. It was given for 20 minutes/day, five-day a week for four-week.
Neumeric pain rating scale (NPRS)
Neck pain was assessed by a nuemeric pain rating scale. It is an 11-points numeric scale marked with 0 to 10 between either end. Zero at one end and ten at the opposite end indicate no pain and unbearable/worst imaginable pain, respectively. The participants were asked to rate their current level of pain, as well as their worst and least amounts of pain in the past 24 hours.
Time frame: 4 weeks
Range of Motion (ROM)
Cervical range of motion was measured by a standard universal goniometer.
Time frame: 4 weeks
Functional limitations
The functional limitation due to mechanical neck pain was evaluated by a neck disability index questionnaire (NDI).
Time frame: 4 weeks
Ran from Aug 2019 to primary completion in Dec 2019, 3 months.
Of 1,209 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Chronic Pain, half reached primary completion within 21 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 9 and three quarters within 39. This study's 3 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 1,296 studies reached it within 21 months; a quarter within 9 and three quarters within 39.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
This study is completed, as verified in Nov 2022. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.
Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.
Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.