Effect of Instrument-assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization Versus Myofascial Release in Treatment of Mechanical Neck Pain

Effect of Instrument-assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization Versus Myofascial Release in Treatment of Mechanical Neck Pain

Mechanical neck pain has become a major health problem recently, affecting around one-year prevalence ranging from 42 to 67% in young adults aged 20-24 years causing pain and functional deficits. No study has been conducted before to investigate the effect of Instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) with mechanical neck pain on university students involved in distance learning.

Mechanical neck pain is a major social and economic burden. It showed a one-year prevalence ranging from 42 to 67% in young adults aged 20-24 years. Treatment of neck pain is costly in terms of utilization of health care services, disability, compensation payments and lost work productivity. With the increasing prevalence of pain and disability associated with musculoskeletal impairments, it is essential to identify the most efficacious interventions to maximize patient outcomes and decrease the societal burden.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Patient's age will be between 18-25 years old.
2. Subjects with mechanical neck pain localized to cervical and periscapular region.
3. Subjects with at least one trigger point in the upper trapezius and/or levator scapulae muscles
4. Subjects should report mechanical neck pain of at least 30 mm on a visual analogue scale (VAS). The scale is ranged from 0 mm (no pain) to 100 mm (worst imaginable pain).
5. Subjects who use computers daily for at least two hours and are involved in distance learning for at least three months.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Any specific neck pathology as radiculopathy, rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic diseases.
2. Sensory problems at mid or upper back
3. A tendency to hemorrhage or anticoagulation treatment. And nonsteroidal pain medication
4. History of head and upper trunk trauma or surgery.
5. Signs of severe pathology such as malignancy, fractures of the cervical spine, cervical radiculopathy or myelopathy, or vascular syndromes such as vertebrobasilar insufficiency.