Abstract

Background. Neck pain can have an insidious [mechanical] or traumatic onset. Mechanical neck pain is defined as pain in the cervical spine and shoulder area with symptoms of neck position, movements or contact with cervical muscles. Aim. is to compare the effect of ischaemic compres-sion (IC) and myoficial release of the trapezius muscle in patients with mechanical neck pain. Mate-rials and methods. A two-week randomized experimental study. Thirty female patients who had mechanical neck pain, aged from 18 to 55 years old, were randomized into 2 equal groups. Group A received myofascial release technique plus cryotherapy for two weeks, 3 sessions per week., while Group B received ischemic compression plus cryotherapy for two weeks, 3 sessions per week. All participants in both groups were evaluated before and after training for Visual Analog scale (VAS), Neck disability index (NDI) and cervical range of motion by Universal Goniometer. Re-sults. There was a significant decrease in VAS and NDI post treatment in the group A and B com-pared with that pretreatment (p > 0.05). There was a significant increase in neck ROM post treat-ment in the group B and A compared with that pretreatment (p > 0.001). Comparison between the group A and B post treatment revealed a significant decrease in VAS and NDI of the group B com-pared with that of the group A (p > 0.05). Also, there was a significant increase in flexion, exten-sion, side bending, and rotation of the group B compared with that of the group A (p > 0.001). Con-clusions. It was concluded that application of ischemic compression 3 times / weeks for 2 weeks is an effective short-term method to reduce pain, increasing cervical ROM, and functional abilities of patients with mechanical neck pain.

Key words:

Ischemic Compression, Mechanical neck pain, Myofascial Trigger Point