Effect of Su Jok Therapy on Neck Pain

Neck pain, which is a significant problem in modern society, is a multifactorial disease. It negatively affects our lifestyle as well as our lifestyle. It is known that some risk factors such as lack of physical activity, daily computer use, perceived stress and being a woman have an effect on the development of neck pain.

Academicians are among the occupational groups with the highest risk of experiencing chronic neck pain due to factors such as ergonomic conditions and stress.

In a study examining musculoskeletal disorders in academicians, 59% of the participants were found to have complaints of neck pain. In a study conducted by Cagnie et al. with university and office workers, it was reported that the prevalence of neck pain lasting longer than one year was 45.5%, and women were twice as likely to experience neck pain as men. Chronic neck pain is a condition that significantly negatively affects an individual's behavior, quality of life, family and professional life. In addition to all these biopsychosocial effects, neck pain is a serious problem with increased health care costs, decreased work efficiency, and absenteeism. Controlling pain is important for the individual to relax, increase quality of life, and reduce complications. The process can be managed without pharmacological support, which is a cost-effective situation. The aim of pain management is to eliminate pain at the highest level with minimal side effects. There are many different methods that can be used to eliminate or alleviate pain. While pharmacological methods are generally preferred in pain treatment, it is seen that the use of complementary and alternative medicine methods is increasing today. Since nonpharmacological applications in pain treatment are an area where nurses can easily display their independent roles, nurses are also turning to these methods. Su Jok Therapy method, which is the new favorite of an integrated treatment, is also a method used in pain treatment. It was developed by South Korean scientist Professor Park Jae Woo (1942-2010) in 1986. In Korean, "Su" means hand and "Jok" means foot. Su Jok therapy is a modern acupressure/acupuncture that uses the body's independent communication systems on the hands and feet by applying various techniques such as massage, moxa (heating), needle, magnet and seed to the reflection points on the hands and feet. In the literature, it has been revealed that there is a decrease in pain complaints after the application in knee pain, tension-type headache, heel spur, carpal tunnel syndrome syndrome pain. In a study comparing Sujok Therapy and physical therapy in individuals with neck pain, it was found that the pain reduction periods of the patients in the Su Jok group were shorter compared to physical therapy. Cruz et al. reported that 63.3% of those with neck pain had severe pain before the intervention, while 76.6% reported mild pain after the intervention. Studies on the effect of Sujok therapy on neck pain are limited in the literature

The study is a quasi-experimental study and is planned to be conducted in a single group in a pretest-posttest format. Data will be collected face-to-face on a foundation university campus.

The sociodemographic form and the Bournemouth Neck Questionnaire will be used to collect data.

Sociodemographic Form: Participants' age, gender, occupation, smoking, chronic disease status, duration of neck pain, use of non-drug methods to reduce neck pain and drug use will be questioned.

Bournemouth Neck Questionnaire: The Bournemouth Neck Questionnaire is a questionnaire that questions pain intensity, daily social-functional level, anxiety depression level, cognitive and behavioral aspects of fear-avoidance beliefs, and coping with pain. The Bournemouth Neck Questionnaire consists of seven questions and the answers are scored on a numerical analog scale ranging from zero to 10. The maximum score that can be obtained from the questionnaire is 70, and a high score indicates a high level of pain.

Data collection method: Intervention: Each participant will be administered a data collection form and the Bournemouth Neck Questionnaire before the intervention, and then su jok therapy will be applied once a day for 10 days. There will be no additional medical treatment or medication use during the su jok therapy. In practice, although it is stated that the sole of the foot acting as a natural mechanical pressure applicator due to movement increases the effectiveness of the treatment, in field practice, hands are preferred rather than feet due to ease of use. Researchers will first detect pain points in the hands by palpating them with a metal probe, then apply a clockwise massage to the painful point with the same metal probe, and finally complete the intervention by fixing the natural seed. The fixed seed should remain in the area where it is fixed for at least 4-8 hours, it should not come into contact with water or any liquid during this period, and the seed used should be used only once. There should be no wounds/cuts/scratches in the area where the massage and seed are applied, and the tissue integrity should be complete. According to the International Sujok Association (ISA), seeds similar to organs can be used in seed therapy, as well as neutral seeds (fenugreek, buckwheat, and mung bean). In this study, since neck pain will be studied as a musculoskeletal pain, buckwheat seed, which is a powerful acupressure, will be applied. The effectiveness of the su jok treatment will be evaluated using the Bournemouth Neck Pain Questionnaire on the 11th day and 4 weeks later as a follow-up after all interventions.

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

Being between 18-64 years of age Having full tissue integrity in the thumbs of both hands and being able to use them actively Being willing to participate in the study Having tension-type and muscle spasm-type neck pain

Exclusion Criteria:

Having undergone any surgical procedure in the cervical region