الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract Background: Mechanical neck pain (MNP) commonly arises insidiously and is generally multifactorial in origin, including one or more of the following: poor posture, anxiety, depression, neck strain and sporting or occupational activities. Purpose: To compare the effect of pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) versus pulsed ultrasound (PUS) on pain intensity, cervical range of motion and functional disability in treating patients with MNP. Design: Pre-test Post-test Randomized Controlled trial. Subjects: Forty-five patients of both genders aged from 18 to 40 years old the mean ± SD of age of groups (A), (B) and (C) were (32.6 ± 5.4, 32 ± 5 and 32.5 ± 5.6) years respectively they had neck pain unilateral or bilateral of an unknown specific cause, and were recruited from an outpatient clinic in the faculty of Physical therapy Cairo University and from International physical therapy center were assigned randomly into 3 equal groups. group (A): Fifteen patients received PUS and conventional physical therapy program. group (B): Fifteen patients received pulsed PEMF and conventional physical therapy program. group (C) (control group): Fifteen patients received a conventional physical therapy program. The 3 groups received treatment 3 times per week for 4 weeks. Methods: Visual analogue scale (VAS) for assessment of pain intensity, AcuAngle Inclinometer for assessment of cervical ROM, and neck disability index (NDI) for assessment of functional disability before and after 4 weeks. Results: there were no statistically significant differences (P=0.999) between pulsed ultrasound waves (group A) and pulsed electromagnetic field (group B) on pain intensity level, cervical ROM and functional disability. While, there was statistical significant difference (P-value < 0.05) between them and control group (group C) in favor to (group B) and they were more effective than only conventional physical therapy. Conclusion: Both are effective in treating patients with mechanical neck pain but there is no statistically significant difference between Pulsed Ultrasound waves and Pulsed Electromagnetic Field in treating patients with mechanical neck pain. |