• Khodabakhsh Javanshir, Mohsen Amiri, Mohammad Ali Mohseni Bandpei, Cesar Fernandez De las Penas, and Asghar Rezasoltani.
• Department of Physiotherapy, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran.
• J Back Musculoskelet Rehabil. 2015 Jan 1; 28 (4): 833-40.

ObjectiveThe effect of different exercise programs on cervical flexor muscles dimensions in patients with chronic neck pain is yet to be demonstrated. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of two exercise programs; craniocervical flexion (CCF) and cervical flexion (CF), on flexor muscles dimensions in patients with chronic neck pain.MethodsFollowing ethical approval, 60 patients were randomly assigned into either a CCF group or a CF group. Patients in the CCF group were given CCF exercises and those in the CF group received CF exercises. All patients received interventions for a period of ten weeks. Pain intensity and functional disability were assessed using numerical pain rate scale and neck disability index, respectively. Dimensions of longus colli (LC) and sternoclidomastoid (SCM) muscles were measured using ultrasonography (US). All measurements were taken before and after interventions.ResultsFollowing intervention, the CCF group demonstrated a significant increase in LC muscle dimensions including cross sectional area, width and thickness compared with the CF group. A statistically significant increase was found on SCM thickness in the CF group. Following intervention, SCM thickness measurement in the CCF group showed no significant changes. Statistically significant decrease on pain intensity and disability were also found in both groups.ConclusionPresent findings demonstrated that craniocervical flexion program which specifically recruiting deep cervical flexor muscles increased LC muscle dimension significantly and CF program as an endurance training program increased SCM thickness.

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