Specific Strength Training Helpful for Neck Muscle Pain

Laurie Barclay
January 10, 2008 — Specific strength training was associated with a marked decrease in neck muscle pain during training and with a lasting effect after the training ended, according to the results of a randomized controlled trial reported in the January issue of Arthritis Care & Research.
"The prevalence of neck muscle pain has steadily increased and especially pain from the descending part of the trapezius muscle has been associated with monotonous work tasks such as computer work," write Lars L. Andersen, MSc, from the National Research Centre for the Working Environment in Copenhagen, Denmark, and colleagues. "Physical exercise is generally recommended as treatment, but it is unclear which type of training is most effective. Our objective was to determine the effectiveness of specific strength training of the painful muscle versus general fitness training without direct involvement of the painful muscle (leg bicycling) on work-related neck muscle pain."
From 7 workplaces characterized by monotonous jobs, such as computer-intensive work, 48 employed women with chronic neck muscle pain were randomized to receive 10 weeks of specific strength training locally for the affected muscle, general fitness training performed as leg bicycling with relaxed shoulders, or a reference intervention without physical activity.
Chronic neck muscle pain was defined as a clinical diagnosis of trapezius myalgia. The primary endpoint was an acute and prolonged change in intensity of neck muscle pain on a 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS).
During a 10-week period, specific strength training was associated with a decrease of 35 mm (approximately 79%; P < .001) in the worst VAS pain score. In contrast, general fitness training was associated with an acute and transient decrease in pain (5 mm; P < .05).
During a 10-week postintervention follow-up, there was no change in pain in any of the 3 groups, and reported pain in the specific strength training groups continued to be lower vs the other 2 groups (P < .001).
"Specific strength training had high clinical relevance and led to marked prolonged relief in neck muscle pain," the study authors write. "General fitness training showed only a small yet statistically significant acute pain reduction."
A limitation of the study is high rate of dropout in the reference group.
"Based on the present results, supervised high-intensity (8 - 12 RM) dynamic strength training of the painful muscle 3 times a week for 20 minutes should be recommended in the treatment of trapezius myalgia," the study authors conclude.
The Danish Medical Research Council and the Danish Rheumatism Association supported this study. The study authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Arthritis Care Res. 2008;59:84-91.