Mechanical neck pain is a musculoskeletal disorder usually associated with work absenteeism. Myofascial release therapy (MRT) is currently under development and has the treatment of mechanical neck pain as one of its main focal points. However, there is a paucity of studies reporting its effectiveness. For that purpose a randomized single-blind parallel group study was designed to compare the effectiveness of MRT with manual therapy (MT) for treating occupational mechanical neck pain. The sample (n=59) was randomly assigned to two therapeutic intervention programs. Group I patients were treated with MT and Group II patients were treated with MRT. Variables studied were intensity of neck pain, cervical disability, quality of life (QoL), craniovertebral angle and ranges of cervical motion.

A variety of physiotherapy interventions have been used to treat mechanical neck pain (NP), but few of them have proven effective. The number of studies on the clinical effectiveness of MT techniques, such as myofascial release therapy (MRT), has seen a marked increase. MRT is a relatively new therapy with increasing acceptance and implementation in the daily clinical work of physiotherapists. However, there is a paucity of studies on biomechanical alterations associated with mechanical NP and its treatment with MRT, consequently, the clinical benefits of MRT remain unclear.

The purpose of this study was to assess the clinical efficacy of MRT in occupational mechanical NP and to determine if MRT has advantages over another MT protocol not including MRT.

An experimental parallel group study was designed. It was a single-blind (assessor) randomized controlled clinical trial. Patients from FREMAP - Mutual Insurance Company for Occupational Accidents and Diseases - participated in the study from January 2010 to December 2010. A total of 71 patients were asked to participate in the initial screening, but 8 did not meet inclusion criteria, 2 declined to participate in the study for personal reasons, and 2 could not participate for other reasons. 59 patients with NP were randomly distributed into two groups according to two therapeutic intervention programs. Group I (n=29; 18 females/11 males; mean age: 38.24 ± 11.35 years-old) was treated with MT and Group II (n=30; 15 females/15 males; mean age: 38.20 ± 10.70 years-old) was treated with MRT.

The intervention for both groups consisted of analgesic treatment in accordance with the guidelines of the FREMAP Protocol for the treatment of mechanical NP. The analgesic part of this protocol includes superficial thermotherapy (infrared lamp) and transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TENS). Additionally, Group I was treated with MT and Group II with MRT. There were 10 treatment sessions distributed within 4 successive weeks with three sessions being applied the first and third weeks and two sessions being applied the second and fourth weeks.

MT was provided by one physiotherapist, while MRT was performed by another physiotherapist, both from FREMAP. The sessions were held for nearly 50 minutes, until the completion of the intervention as determined by FREMAP.

Analgesic therapy consisted of the application of superficial thermotherapy by an infrared lamp (Infra 2000, Enraf Nonius) and TENS (TENSMED 911, Enraf Nonius). The 250-watts infrared lamp was focused at a distance of 50 cm on the cervical area for 15 minutes. TENS application employed 80 Hz frequency, 150 µs pulse duration, with 50x50 mm electrodes (Gel-Trode, Enraf Nonius) placed on the painful or metamers areas for 20 minutes.

The additional treatments were applied for both groups for 15 minutes. MT techniques included: (i) anterior-posterior and side-shift of the cervical spine; (ii) muscle energy technique involving side-bending of cervical spine; (iii) neuromuscular technique for restricted C1-C2 rotation; (iv) inhibitive occipital distraction; and (v) cervical stretching: post-isometric relaxation for the upper trapezius, scalene and sternocleidomastoid muscles.

The MRT included: (i) cranial base release, adjusting the relation of the rectus capitis posterior muscles to the dura mater (Hack et al., 1995); (ii) gross release of the sternocleidomastoid muscle; (iii) release of the suprahyoid and infrahyoid muscles; and (iv) release of the retrohyoid fascia.

Inclusion Criteria:

• being between 18 and 65 years old; having mechanical neck pain with or without symptoms that radiated to the head and/or upper limbs (Guzman et al., 2009b); and
• scoring 10% or higher on the Neck Disability Index (NDI) or 2 points or more on the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) of pain at initial evaluation (Farrar et al., 2001; Cleland et al., 2007).

Exclusion Criteria:

• Neck pain due to neoplasia, metastasis, severe osteoporosis, infectious or inflammatory processes, fractures, congenital anomalies, herniated disc, whiplash or cervical stenosis;
• evidence of cervical spinal cord compromise or radiculopathy; previous neck surgery;
• neck pain accompanied by dizziness caused by vertebrobasilar insufficiency or by headaches excluding those of cervical origin; and
• pregnant women. Patients were also excluded if they had received physiotherapy treatment in the previous three months; and had pending legal actions.