Clinical trial NCT06459518: Effectiveness of Bowen Technique vs Muscle Energy Technique in Neck Pain.
Official title: Effectiveness of Bowen Technique vs Muscle Energy Technique in Mechanical Neck Pain Among Desktop Users.
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: RECRUITING
Phase: NA
Conditions: Neck Pain
Musculoskeletal Manipulation
Keywords: Bowen Therapy
Mechanical Neck Pain
Muscle Energy Technique
Lead sponsor: Riphah International University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2024-06-14
Enrollment: 36
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 15
Maximum age (years): 35
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: Mechanical neck pain, also known as non-specific neck pain, is a prevalent ailment that results from problems with spine and surrounding tissue function. Trauma, degenerative changes, strained muscles, and bad posture are among the causes. The range of symptoms includes headaches, stiffness, and mild to severe pain. The goal of treatment is to strengthen the muscles and improve posture. The diagnosis is clinical. The Bowen Technique is a type of gentle bodywork therapy that promotes relaxation and overall rebalancing by using specific movements to activate the autonomic nerve system. It is sought for the improvement of general well-being, pain alleviation, and stress reduction. Patients undergoing manual treatment will be asked to actively contract their muscles against regulated resistance using the Muscle Energy Technique (MET). It addresses problems including joint limitations and attempts to return muscles and joints to their normal functions.

Detailed description: The research, will last for ten months at the Limit Institute of Health Sciences in Sahiwal, is a randomized controlled trial. With 10 participants in each group using a non-probability convenient sampling procedure, the sample size includes 10% attrition. Computer users between the ages of 18 and 35 who work five to seven hours a day meet the inclusion criteria, but recent musculoskeletal injuries and a history of head or spine trauma are the exclusion criteria. One instrument used to collect data is the Neck Disability Index (NDI). There are two established study groups: Group B will receive Muscle Energy Technique (MET) and traditional physiotherapy, while Group A will receive Bowen therapy and conventional physiotherapy. Blinding will be used, and the study will adhere to a recruitment, enrollment, and randomization procedure. SPSS version 23 will be used to analyze the data, and descriptive statistics, change over temporal analysis as well as tests of group comparison. The purpose of the study is to evaluate how the interventions affect people who use computers for extended periods in terms of their functional results and mechanical neck discomfort.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Computer users who work 5-7 hours daily.
* Age between 18 to 35 will be included.
* Both genders

Exclusion Criteria:

* Any recent musculoskeletal injury of upper limb or spine.
* History of any trauma of spine or head

Primary outcomes:
measure: Pain level
timeFrame: 4th week
measure: Functional Disability
timeFrame: 4th week
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Sahiwal
country: Pakistan
facility: Maryam Polyclinic Sahiwal
state: Punjab
Study officials:
affiliation: Riphah International University
name: Hafiza Wajeeha Saeed, DPT
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Masaracchio M, Kirker K, States R, Hanney WJ, Liu X, Kolber M. Thoracic spine manipulation for the management of mechanical neck pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2019 Feb 13;14(2):e0211877. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0211877. eCollection 2019.
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citation: Joshi S, Balthillaya G, Neelapala YVR. Thoracic Posture and Mobility in Mechanical Neck Pain Population: A Review of the Literature. Asian Spine J. 2019 Jun 3;13(5):849-860. doi: 10.31616/asj.2018.0302. Print 2019 Oct.
citation: Al-Khazali HM, Kroll LS, Ashina H, Melo-Carrillo A, Burstein R, Amin FM, Ashina S. Neck pain and headache: Pathophysiology, treatments and future directions. Musculoskelet Sci Pract. 2023 Aug;66:102804. doi: 10.1016/j.msksp.2023.102804. Epub 2023 Jun 16.
citation: Peng B, Yang L, Li Y, Liu T, Liu Y. Cervical Proprioception Impairment in Neck Pain-Pathophysiology, Clinical Evaluation, and Management: A Narrative Review. Pain Ther. 2021 Jun;10(1):143-164. doi: 10.1007/s40122-020-00230-z. Epub 2021 Jan 12.
citation: Bonilla-Barba L, Florencio LL, Rodriguez-Jimenez J, Falla D, Fernandez-de-Las-Penas C, Ortega-Santiago R. Women with mechanical neck pain exhibit increased activation of their superficial neck extensors when performing the cranio-cervical flexion test. Musculoskelet Sci Pract. 2020 Oct;49:102222. doi: 10.1016/j.msksp.2020.102222. Epub 2020 Jul 11.