Manual therapy
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Can a functional postural exercise improve performance in the cranio-cervical flexion test?--a preliminary study.
Deep cervical flexor (DCF) muscle impairment is common in patients with neck pain. Retraining function is often commenced with a motor relearning approach, requiring the patient to practice and hold a cranio-cervical flexion position in supine lying. Motor relearning requires multiple repetitions which is difficult to achieve if only exercising in supine. ⋯ There was no difference between groups for pain and disability measures. This initial study indicates that a postural exercise, convenient to perform during the working day, improves the pattern of SCM muscle activity in the CCFT. Whilst further research is necessary, these observations suggest the worth of such an exercise to augment other training in the rehabilitation of patients with neck pain.