The passive stretching, massage, and muscle energy technique effects on range of motion, strength, and pressure pain threshold in musculoskeletal neck pain of young adults

Abstract

Objective: Musculoskeletal neck pain have many symptoms which include decreased range of motion (ROM) and muscle strength, and increased pain. However, the management methods are controversial. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of three interventions on ROM, strength, and pressure pain threshold (PPT) with musculoskeletal neck pain. Design: Pretest-posttest design. Methods: Thirty subjects participated in this experiment. They were randomly assigned to thefollowing groups: passive stretching (PS) group (n=10), massage (MASS) group (n=10), and muscle energy technique (MET) group (n=10). The treatment were applied bilaterally on the upper trapezius. The PS was applied 3 times for 30 seconds each time. The MASS was applied using two different techniques for 2 minutes per technique. For MET, the subjects performed 2 sets of 3 repetitions of isometric resistance exercise that was maintained for 10 seconds, followed by 10 seconds of rest. ROM, strength, and PPT parameters were measured after intervention. Results: In the MASS group, there was a significant improvement in all outcomes except for muscle strength (p<0.05). In the MET group, ROM and strength significantly improved compared to the pre-treatment results (p<0.05). As result of measuring the amount of change in each group, there was a significant difference in ROM (flexion) in the PS group compared with the MASS and MET group, a significant difference in strength in the MET group compared with the PS and MASS groups, and a significant difference in PPT in the MASS groups compared with the PS and MET groups (p<0.05). Conclusions: This study showed that PS, MASS, and MET are effective methods for improving ROM, strength, and PPT for musculoskeletal neck pain. Therefore, various therapeutic interventions for improving ROM, strength, and pain are suggested.

Muscle Energy Technique in the Rehabilitative Treatment for Acute and Chronic Non-Specific Neck Pain: A Systematic Review

“…Characteristics of included studies are summarized in Table 2 and Table 3 . We used 15 studies [ 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 ] to analyze the effects of MET in patients with non-specific acute neck pain, and 6 studies [ 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 ] to analyze the effects of MET in patients with non-specific chronic neck pain. Articles had sample sizes ranging from 28 to 90, contributing to a total sample size of 913 participants, consisting of 527 females and 386 males with a mean baseline age of 18 to 55 years with an average of 32.18 (±7.59).…”

“…Three clinical trials were considered. Jeong et al [ 51 ] analyzed the impact of MET and passive stretching massage on ROM, strength, and pressure pain threshold (PPT) in patients with neck pain. They randomly assigned 30 subjects to three groups: Group 1 ( n = 10) received passive stretching, Group 2 ( n = 10) received massage, and Group 3 ( n = 10) received MET.…”

“…The first question was: “How effective is MET compared to other available therapies in non-specific acute or chronic neck pain?” For convenience, the studies were analyzed by dividing them into two subgroups, one treating acute non-specific neck pain and the other chronic neck pain, respectively. All the studies analyzed show an effective improvement in the outcomes of pain, disability and joint function, which leads us to say that MET is certainly an effective and safe technique in the treatment of cervical pain [ 35 , 40 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 ]. However, the results for the two subgroups were different: as regards neck pain in the acute phase, a significant improvement was recorded in all three outcomes, superior to or comparable to the other methods with which it was compared [ 35 , 40 , 47 , 48 , 55 ]; in the chronic phase neck pain there was greater attention in relation to joint function, the only parameter significantly higher than the other comparison methods [ 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 ].…”

Immediate effects of neuromuscular control exercise on neck pain, range of motion, and proprioception in persons with neck pain

“…Stretching the musles around the neck and Original Article performing neck stabilization exercises (NSEs) are commonly used in the clinic as a method of solving cervical problems. Stretching stimulates the proprioceptive receptors by stretching the muscles and tendons, preventing muscle deterioration, removing fatigue substances, and improving elasticity of the entire muscle tissue [12,13]. Several previous studies have suggested that NSEs improve neck pain and deep muscle activity [14,15].…”

Comparison of the immediate effect of hamstring stretching techniques on hamstring muscle range of motion, pressure pain threshold and muscle tone

“…Previous studies have applied a number of methods to enhance flexibility, including massage, muscle energy techniques, myofascial release techniques, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF), and static stretching [1,5,6]. Stretching is necessary to manage muscle stiffness and maintain normal muscle length, and by stretching soft tissues such as muscles, tendons, ligaments, it increases joint range,…”