Clinical trial NCT06931314: The Impact of Muscle Energy Technique and Aromatherapy
Official title: The Impact of Muscle Energy Technique and Aromatherapy on Pain, Disability and Sleep Quality in Office Workers With Nonspecific Neck Pain
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Neck Pain
Keywords: Lavender Oil
İsometric Contraction
aromatherapy
Lead sponsor: Baskent University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2025-04-17
Enrollment: 45
Sex: FEMALE
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 55
Standard ages: ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: The people who will be included in our study will be examined in 3 groups: Muscle energy technique (MET), aromatherapy and control group.

People in the manual energy technique and aromatherapy group will be given an application for 4 weeks in addition to exercise, while the control group will be given only exercise.
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: Individuals with nonspecific neck pain who work at a desk will be included in the study. Individuals will be examined in 3 groups: Muscle energy technique (MET), aromatherapy and control group. All participants will be given home program-style exercises consisting of neck isometric, posture and stretching exercises by a physiotherapist. In addition to exercise, individuals in the MET and aromatherapy groups will be given exercises for 4 weeks, while the control group will be given only exercise. Evaluation questionnaires will be applied to participants at the end of the 0th and 4th weeks. At the end of the study, outcome measures between the groups and before and after data within the groups will be compared.

Detailed description: Nonspecific neck pain (NSBP) can occur without any history of injury or specific pathology related to the musculoskeletal system, or as a result of a postural or mechanical cause. Studies conducted on office workers have shown that working at a desk for long periods of time causes significant pain in the neck region, although not primarily. There are many therapeutic modalities in the treatment of neck pain. However, manual therapy approaches have been increasingly popular in many countries in recent years. Muscle energy technique (MET) is a treatment approach that uses soft tissue or joint manipulation or mobilization to improve the musculoskeletal system and reduce pain, including stretching maneuvers after active muscle contraction and relaxation. The technique, defined as a type of massage application, is used by utilizing physiological properties such as viscoelastic properties of myofascial tissues. MET is among the physiotherapy methods that affect joint range of motion, spinal pain, tissue fluid drainage and proprioception. In the literature, in the study comparing the effects of MET and Thai massage treatment on neck pain, it was stated that their effects on pain were similar, but their effectiveness with different massages and aromatherapy was not investigated. Aromatherapy is another complementary treatment method used in the treatment of musculoskeletal system diseases. It is stated that the components of the essential oils used during aromatherapy massage reach the circulatory system through the lymph and blood vessels in the epidermis and affect the release of neurotransmitters such as dopamine, endorphin, noradrenaline and serotonin, thus reducing pain.Individuals with nonspecific neck pain who work at a desk will be included in the study. Individuals will be examined in 3 groups: Muscle energy technique (MET), aromatherapy and control group. All participants will be given home program-style exercises consisting of neck isometric, posture and stretching exercises by a physiotherapist. In addition to exercise, individuals in the MET and aromatherapy groups will be given exercises for 4 weeks, while the control group will be given only exercise. Evaluation questionnaires will be applied to participants at the end of the 0th and 4th weeks. At the end of the study, outcome measures between the groups and before and after data within the groups will be compared.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Age between 35-55 years
* Female
* Office worker
* NP that has persisted for at least six months.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Individuals under the age of 18,
* Those with a history of neck-related surgery,
* Individuals with known serious pathologies (e.g., malignancy, inflammatory disorders, infection),
* Those with a history of trauma or fracture in the cervical spine,
* Individuals showing symptoms of cervical radiculopathy or myelopathy,
* Individuals known to have allergies to the oils to be used,
* Damaged skin,
* Individuals with a history of allergy to lavender and almond,
* Those with a history of respiratory system diseases,
* Individuals for whom massage and manipulation are contraindicated.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Neck Pain
timeFrame: The individuals participating in the study will be evaluated twice: before the application (week 0) and after the application (after 4 weeks).
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Neck Disability Index
timeFrame: The individuals participating in the study will be evaluated twice: before the application (week 0) and after the application (after 4 weeks).
measure: Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index
timeFrame: The individuals participating in the study will be evaluated twice: before the application (week 0) and after the application (after 4 weeks).
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Ankara
country: Turkey
facility: Başkent University
Study officials:
affiliation: Baskent University
name: Ayça AYTAR, Assoc.Prof.
role: STUDY_DIRECTOR
affiliation: Baskent University
name: Mustafa GÜLŞEN, Assoc.Prof.
role: STUDY_CHAIR
affiliation: Baskent University
name: Selin ÖZEN, Assoc.Prof.
role: STUDY_CHAIR
affiliation: Baskent University
name: Yasemin Kavuncubaşı Genç, Phd Cand
role: STUDY_CHAIR
affiliation: University of Health Sciences Türkiye
name: Aydan AYTAR, Professor
role: STUDY_DIRECTOR
References:
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citation: Canpolat M, Ortabağ T. Ofis Çalışanlarında Mobil Egzersizin Boyun Ağrısı Üzerine Etkisi. Istanbul Kent University Journal Of Health Sciences.2023;2(3): 22-25.
citation: Kanchanomai S, Janwantanakul P, Pensri P, Jiamjarasrangsi W. Risk factors for the onset and persistence of neck pain in undergraduate students: 1-year prospective cohort study. BMC Public Health. 2011 Jul 15;11:566. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-11-566.