Effects of Hot Water Baths Containing Carbon Dioxide and 3-Octylphthalide on Work-Related Chronic Shoulder-Neck Muscle Pain

Abstract

Abstract. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of enhancement of systemic circulation due to repetitive hot water bathing on work-related chronic shoulder-neck muscle pain. Eight female office workers reporting chronic shoulder-neck muscle pain used a bath additive, KYN, while they took baths at home for 2 weeks and then took baths without KYN for another 2 weeks. KYN contained CO 2 generators and 3-octylphthalide that produced final concentrations of 100 ppm and 3 ppm in 150 L bath water, respectively. The effects of KYN were evaluated during and after the use of KYN using a visual analog scale (VAS), fatigue scores, muscle hardness, near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), and the pressure pain threshold (PPT). During the use of KYN, VAS significantly decreased (p<0.05), as did fatigue score III expressing "sense of physical discomfort" (p<0.01) and muscle hardness (p<0.01). These indices expressed increases during the next 2 weeks of hot water baths without KYN. In conclusion, the effects of repetitive use of KYN were clarified by subjective and physiological parameters on work-related chronic shoulder-neck pain, and they could be ascribed to cumulative immediate enhancement of systemic circulation. Further studies are necessary to clarify the correlations among parameters and underlying mechanisms.

Pressure pain thresholds in office workers with chronic neck pain: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…Table 1 shows the characteristics and a summary of the findings of all studies included in this review. The 13 studies included consisted of 4 cross‐sectional studies, 20,21,43,46 2 prospective cohort studies, 49,50 4 RCTs, 41,42,44,51 2 studies with a mixed design (part A, was a cross‐sectional and part B was an RCT), 45,48 and one an uncontrolled trial 47 . A total of 692 office workers (92 men and 600 women) were included, from those, 609 were CNP (87 men and 522 women) and 83 were CONs (5 men and 78 women).…”

“…Pain intensity was assessed in nine studies 21,41–45,47,50,51 by means of the Visual Analog Scale, 21,41,42,44,47,50,51 and the Numerical Pain Rating Scale 43,45 . The Neck Disability Index was measured in five studies 20,43,45,50,51 …”

“…In line with that procedure, we determined the intervals by calculating the mean minus 1 SD (40.6) and then mean plus 1 SD (69.6) for the average quality interval, where studies greater than 69.6 were considered of high quality and studies less than 40.6 were considered to be of low quality. Based on these criteria, the quality assessment of the 13 studies revealed: 9 high average‐quality studies (>50% cutoff point), 20,21,41–43,45,46,49,50 3 low average‐quality study (<50% cutoff point), 44,48,51 and 1 poor‐quality study 47 …”