Effectiveness of exercise interventions for preventing neck pain: a systematic review with meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Review written by Dr Sarah Haag info

Key Points

  1. Exercise interventions are likely to reduce the risk of developing neck pain.
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BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE

Neck pain is the second largest cause of years lived with disability and leads to substantial personal and economic burdens. Strategies for preventing pain are urgently needed to reduce the global burden of neck pain. The 1 year incidence is especially high in office workers, ranging from 20-50%. Current clinical practice guidelines do not make recommendations about preventing neck pain. Research into neck pain has been more focused on treating neck pain rather than preventing the occurrence of neck pain.

The aim of this systematic review was to update the evidence of the effectiveness of exercise interventions on neck pain in adults in the general population.

Neck pain is the second largest cause of years lived with disability and leads to substantial personal and economic burdens.
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The value of exercise, or physical activity, has been established as an effective way to help treat pain regardless of the mechanism underlying the pain.

METHODS

The search strategy for this review varied depending on the database that was being searched. In general, neck pain, physical activity/exercise, prevention, and RCT were the search terms used. Articles that reported findings on adults who did not have neck

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