Effects of dynamic muscle strengthening and isometric muscle strengthening in treatment of mechanical neck pain; a randomized clinical trial

To determine if isometric or dynamic exercise methods are effective in treating the different mechanical neck disorders occurring in adults. Methodology: This Randomized Clinical Trial of six months duration was conducted at Shalamar Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan from February 2016 to July 2016 using simple random sampling technique. Sample size of 40 was taken by using Open Epi, Version 3, open source calculator and were randomly divided into two groups with 20 patients each. Group-A was treated with Dynamic Muscle Strengthening and Group-B with Isometric Muscle Strengthening, whereas 7 minutes ultrasound was used as standard treatment for both groups. Visual Analogue Scale, Neck Disability Index and cervical range of motion measurements with standard goniometry were used as outcome measures. Pre-treatment, 1st, 2nd and 3rd weeks after treatment were used to record the data. Results: Dynamic exercises were more effective than isometrics muscle strengthening exercise. Further high quality trials and systematic reviews are suggested to improve the quality of available evidence. (author)