Development of Standard Guidelines for Relaxation Exercises in Patients With Chronic Neck Pain and Determination of Their Effectiveness

Development of Standard Guidelines for Relaxation Exercises in Patients With Chronic Neck Pain and Determination of Their Effectiveness

The goal of this observational study is to determine whether relaxation exercises performed before cranio-cervical flexion can reduce superficial neck muscle activation (specifically sternocleidomastoid and upper trapezius) in individuals with neck pain.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

• Does performing relaxation exercises prior to cranio-cervical flexion reduce sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle activation?
• Does it reduce upper trapezius muscle activation during the standing?

Researchers will compare the group performing relaxation exercises before cranio-cervical flexion to the group performing only cranio-cervical flexion to see if there is a measurable difference in superficial neck muscle activation.

Participants will:

• Perform cranio-cervical flexion exercises.
• Perform relaxation exercises prior to the cranio-cervical flexion (intervention group only).
• Undergo surface EMG measurements to assess muscle activity.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Knowledge of Turkish
• Chronic (at least three months) neck pain
• Neck pain level of 4 or higher on a numerical pain scale

Exclusion Criteria:

• Neck pain caused by a tumor, trauma, or rheumatic disease
• History of surgery involving the head, neck, shoulder, or thoracic region
• Root compression
• Regular use of painkillers due to another illness
• Another illness severe enough to interfere with work