M.Tech. (Chiropractic) / Neck pain is a common and costly complaint in society and many are made to believe that their neck pain is caused by pinched nerve, compressed disk, arthritis or displaced cervical vertebrae, when in reality the pain may be solely due to referral from myofascial trigger points in overworked or traumatized muscles of their upper back and shoulders. Travel and Simons (1999) demonstrated trapezius muscle of the neck, back and shoulder as the main cause of mechanical neck pain and stiffness. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of trigger point therapy using an activator instrument versus myofascial dry needling in combination with cervical spine adjustment in the treatment of those with acute or chronic neck pain associated with active trigger point 1 (TrP 1) or trigger point 2 (TrP 2) of upper trapezius muscle, with regards to pain and disability, pressure pain threshold and cervical spine range of motion. The clinical study consisted of forty participants, from the ages of 18 and 45, randomly allocated into two groups of twenty individuals each. Potential participants were examined and accepted based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Group 1 received activator trigger point therapy to upper trapezius TrP 1 or 2 with chiropractic adjustment to restricted segments of the cervical spine, and group 2 received myofascial dry needling of upper trapezius TrP 1 or 2 with chiropractic adjustment to restricted segments of the cervical spine. Participants were treated four times over a period of two weeks. Subjective data was collected using the Vernon-Mior Neck Pain and Disability Index and a Visual Analog Scale. Objective data was collected using an algometer to measure pressure pain threshold of trapezius TrPs muscles, and a goniometer to measure cervical spine range of motion. All data was collected at the first and third visits prior to treatment, and at the fifth visit. The statistical analysis was conducted using nonparametric tests. Friedman’s test was used to assess whether neck pain, disability, cervical spine range of motion and pressure pain threshold varied over the three time intervals. Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Pair test was used for assessment of comparability of the results in each group separately, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of the accumulated data in the two groups.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:7456 |
| Date | 17 April 2013 |
| Creators | Siphuma, Winnie Mulalo |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | University of Johannesburg |
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