Last Updated: 2003-05-20 16:55:24 -0400 (Reuters Health)


NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women with chronic neck pain may find relief by doing neck-muscle exercises as little as two times a week, Finnish researchers reported Tuesday

Seven percent of women and five percent of men in Finland have reported chronic neck pain, according to the report in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Such patients use up to twice as many health care services as the general population, on average.

In the new study, Dr. Jari Ylinen of the Jyvaskyla Central Hospital looked at 180 female office workers who reported constant or frequent neck pain.

The women underwent either endurance training or strength training, or were placed in a control group.

The endurance-training group performed neck exercises such as lifting the head while lying on the back or stomach. The strength-training group performed high-intensity neck strengthening exercises using an elastic band. Both groups also used weights to strengthen the muscles of the shoulder, back and arms.

Those in the control group did not receive any specific weight-training regimen and were only encouraged to do aerobic activity for 20 minutes three times per week. Those in the endurance and strength-training groups were also encouraged to do aerobic exercise.

After 12 months all of the women were re-evaluated.

"Our study showed that participation in 1-year endurance and strength training programs led to a considerable reduction in average neck pain and disability compared to the control group," the authors write.

"Neck function, including neck strength and range of motion, was improved significantly in both training groups compared to the control group," they add.

Women received a benefit even if they only did the exercises two times a week, the authors found.

SOURCE: Journal of the American Medical Association 2003;289:2509-2516.

http://www.reutershealth.com/archiv...520elin009.html

Thanks for that, Doreen.

I've just printed it out for the member of my household who has chronic neck pain. For some obscure reason, he "never gets around" to doing the regular neck exercises prescribed by his physio
.
Maybe if he realises just twice a week will help...

Oh, and I think he'll understand that men would receive benefit also.

Roz

Thanks for posting that. I've never been sure whether the type of endurance training you described would help or hurt and the people I've asked haven't seemed to know. I've already started weight training which seems to be helping, and now I'll add some endurance training in too.

I have to concur 100%. My wife says that the more I exercise, the less she feels that I am a pain in the...OH, Yes, she did mention somethign about a different body part. LOL

Sorry, couldn't resist.