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Spinal cord injury without radiological abnormality is a rare entity and has not been reported to occur secondary to active neck stretching. The case report highlights the possible mechanisms of injury and functional outcomes of multidisciplinary rehabilitation.

The aim of the study is to investigate effect of high-power pain threshold ultrasound versus extracorporeal shock wave on myofascial trigger points. Methods: this randomized single blinded controlled trial included a sample of 60 subjects (age 20 to 26) years old with upper trapezius myofascial trigger points. Subjects randomly allocated into 3 groups; Extracorporeal shock wave (ESWT) group (n=20) which received low level energy ESWT plus neck stretching, strengthening exercise, High Power Pain threshold Ultrasound (HPPT) group (n=20) received high power-pain threshold ultrasound with intensity range from 0.5 to 2 Watt/cm² plus neck stretching, strengthening exercise and control group (n=20) received neck stretching, strengthening exercise, Arabic Neck Disability Index and Pressure algometer was used to measure neck functional disability (ANDI) and Pressure pain threshold (PPT). Results: within group study showed statistically significant improvement in ANDI and PPT in both ESWT group and HPPT group as p value was (P

Neck pain is frequently complained by workers with static neck position. Complaints accompanied by discomfort around the neck muscles without any sensory disturbances or radiating pain, without specific causes such as history of neck trauma, neck malignancy or anatomical structural abnormalities. The samples were taken from carving students of Swadhyaya Middle School Badung. We evaluated 18 students divided into 2 groups: one with isometric neck stretches and another with isotonic neck stretches, 9 subjects each. The paired t-test found the number of decrease in NPRS in the isometric group was greater than isotonic group and the difference was statistically significant. The results of the unpaired student t-test obtained a mean decrease in NPRS in the isometric group greater than isotonic with a value of P = 0.00 (p 0.01). These results indicate isometric stretching is more effective in reducing the scale of NPRS pain in non-specific neck pain compared to isotonic stretches, isometric and isotonic stretching techniques are equally less effective in reducing creatine kinase levels.

Gentle human-animal interactions can induce positive emotions in cattle and enhance their welfare. We investigated whether a change in the animals’ perceived control over the situation influences their perception of the interactions. We compared the reactions of habituated heifers (n = 28) to stroking and talking in a gentle voice while they were restrained in a feeding rack as routinely practiced on farms (‘lock’) or free to move in an arena (‘free’), which allowed for a higher level of control over the situation and thus, probably a higher sense of agency. All heifers had a positive relationship to humans, i.e. freely accepted human touch, and were habituated to gentle human-animal interactions. Each animal was tested three times per condition and each trial comprised three phases: pre-stroking, stroking and post-stroking. Video recordings of the trials were analysed for behaviours associated with different affective states. We also assessed heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV). In line with our hypotheses, stroking and gentle talking led to longer durations of neck stretching, indicating a positive affective state in both conditions, with stronger effects in the ‘free’ condition. Longer durations of lower ear positions occurred during stroking primarily in ‘lock’; however, the ear positions differed already in the pre-stroking phase, suggesting that restraint itself affected the ear positions independently of the human-animal interactions. Decreased heart rates during stroking in ‘free’ suggest a calming effect of the gentle interactions when the animals were free to move, and HRV parameters imply a greater relaxation effect shortly after ‘free’ interactions. We thus conclude that heifers with a good animal-human relationship enjoy gentle interactions with humans also when they are restrained, but they seem to perceive them even more positively when allowed to move freely, possibly due to a higher degree of agency. Furthermore, the results of this study confirm ear postures as promising indicators of the affective states of cattle, but underline that external factors such as restraint can substantially influence ear positions and need to be considered in the interpretation of the results.

BACKGROUND A high prevalence and incidence of neck and shoulder pain are common problems that require more attention from health service providers and researchers. Recent findings have indicated that the neck stretching is the one of the most effective physical therapy interventions. Although the recovery of the pain through the stretching exercise has been described in a previous study, functional advantages and changes of the neuromuscular control has not been suggested. Additionally, there was a lack of studies that considered methods of stretching. OBJECTIVE The purpose of the present study was to examine the long-term effects of stretching methods for cervical neuromuscular dysfunction, disability and pain in a sample of sedentary workers with neck pain. METHODS Twenty-four sedentary workers with neck pain participated in this study and were assigned to the following two groups: static stretching (SS), and diagonal active stretching (DS). Active cervical range of motion (ROM), pressure pain threshold (PPT), self reported questionnaire (Neck Disability Index, NDI), and the flexion - relaxation ratio (FRR) from the cervical erector spinae muscles were measured at pre-treatment, post-treatment (after 4 weeks) and follow-up (after 6 and 8 weeks). RESULTS In both groups, the values obtained for the cervical ROM as flexion, extension, lateral flexion, were significantly increased in comparison to pre-treatment (p< 0.05). Significant increases of the left and right neck rotation, left and right FRR were only observed in the DS group (p

Background Although there are a limited number of studies showing effects of neck stretching exercises following a thyroidectomy in reducing neck discomfort symptoms, no study has specifically dealt with and examined the effect of neck stretching exercises on neck pain and disability. Objective To analyze the effect of neck stretching exercises, following a total thyroidectomy, on reducing neck pain and disability. Methods A randomized controlled trial was conducted. The participants were randomly assigned either to the stretching exercise group (n = 40) or to the control group (n = 40). The stretching exercise group learned the neck stretching exercises immediately after total thyroidectomy. The effects of the stretching exercises on the participants’ neck pain and disability, neck sensitivity, pain with neck movements as well as on wound healing, were evaluated at the end of the first week and at 1 month following surgery. Results When comparing neck pain and disability scale (NPDS) scores, neck sensitivity and pain with neck movement before thyroidectomy, after 1 week and after 1-month time-points, it was found that patients experienced significantly less pain and disability in the stretching exercise group than the control group (p .05). Linking Evidence to Action Neck stretching exercises done immediately after a total thyroidectomy reduce short-term neck pain and disability symptoms.

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to find out the effect of exercise on the angle and distance between scapular stability and McKenzie stretch exercise. Method : 30 volunteers took part in this experiment and we divided into three groups(experimental group A, experimental group B, control group C). Experimental group A performed scapular stabilization exercise and experimental group B performed McKenzie neck stretching exercise and control group didn`t perform any exercise. Experimental group(A, B) received a total of 12 exercise session over a 4 week period (three times per week). Posture and craniovertebral angle changes of the neck using GPS measurements reported. Result : The CVA and distance change after exercise were significantly reduced in the experimental group A and B. Conclusion : Therefore, we have confirmed through experiments reducing a CVA and distance between scapular stabilization and McKenzie neck stretching exercises, whereby we would also be helpful to ensure the treatment of forward head posture.

The quality of the relationship between cattle and their caretakers is important for animal welfare and productivity. Nevertheless, the influence of gentle interactions on group-housed dairy calves has not been thoroughly studied so far. We examined the effects of 42 min of gentle interactions (stroking, gentle talking) during the first 14 days of life on female Holstein-Friesian calves. The control calves experienced only routine management. We measured the calves’ avoidance distance towards a familiar person after the treatment phase (17.7 ± 2.4 days old, groups of 12–14 animals), after disbudding (32.3 ± 4.4 days old, groups of 26 animals) and after weaning (86.2 ± 5.1 days old, same group composition as after disbudding). In addition, we measured heart rate variability (HRV) during resting after the treatment and after weaning and concentrations of faecal cortisol metabolites (FCM) after weaning, and we calculated the average daily gain in body weight from birth until after weaning. Calves frequently showed neck stretching (occurrence in 37% of all occasions) and play behaviour (9%) during the treatment. After the treatment phase, avoidance distances were lower in stroked calves than in controls ( p = 0.02). After disbudding, avoidance distances were higher than before in both groups ( p p = 0.002). After weaning, avoidance distances tended to be lower in stroked calves than in controls ( p = 0.07). Average daily gain was higher in stroked calves than in controls ( p = 0.05; up to 7%, depending on milk provision; interaction of treatment and milk provision, p = 0.05). There was no significant difference between groups with regard to heart rate variability or faecal cortisol metabolites. The treatment was effective in reducing the calves’ fear of humans in the short term and partly in the medium term. The higher average daily gain in stroked calves is an important economic aspect, as heifers with a high average daily gain have been shown to have a higher milk yield later in life.

This study examined the effects of a neck stretching exercise intervention on nurses’ primary headaches. Using a pretest and posttest two-group design, a total of 60 female staff nurses employed by a medical center in Taiwan were selected by convenience sampling. Participants in the experimental group ( N = 30) practiced neck stretching exercises while experiencing headaches. The participants in the control group ( N = 30) managed their headaches as usual. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on headache intensity at baseline, and at 30 minutes and 1 hour after intervention. Decrease in headache intensity of the experimental group was significantly larger than that of the control group. Neck stretching exercises is an effective method for treating primary headaches.

Nestling birds use vocal and visual behaviours when soliciting food from parents. Such behaviours serve at least two discrete functions: (1) to induce parents to bring more food; and (2) to influence how food is allocated among brood members. Playback experiments have shown that vocalizations serve function 1. Do they also function to influence intrabrood allocation, as contemporary begging theory suggests, or is that governed chiefly by the nonvocal components of begging (neck stretching, gaping, jockeying for position within the nest)? We tested this hypothesis using a novel nonsurgical muting technique to decouple the vocal and visual components of begging in nestling red-winged blackbirds, Agelaius phoeniceus . Single chicks that were muted temporarily (1 h) continued to be fed at roughly the same rate as either the same individual prior to muting or sham-muted nestlings in the same brood. Parents reduced provisioning rates by increasing nest attentiveness in response to changes in the begging behaviour of the brood following treatment. These changes included less time spent begging (visual and vocal) accompanied by a reduction in the collective vocalizations of the brood. Our results suggest that vocalizations function primarily to regulate parental foraging rates, and visual begging displays function primarily to access food (competition). Copyright 2002 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd on behalf of The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour

Objective: The aim of this research was to evaluate the effect of teaching patients stretching neck exercises on pain and disability of the neck following thyroidectomy.Methods: Research design: a randomized controlled trial was utilized. Setting: the study was conducted at the general surgery ward and outpatient surgery clinic-Assiut university hospital. Sample: 60 adult male and female patients scheduled to undergo thyroidectomy and are willing to take part in this study. Tools of data collection: Tool (I): Patient assessment sheet, Tool II: Neck pain and disability index questionnaire.Results: There was no statistically significant difference between both groups regarding their socio-demographic variables and medical data while there was a highly statistical significant difference between both groups regarding pain in the neck and disability 7 days post thyroidectomy.Conclusions: Teaching and applying neck stretching exercises significantly improved the neck condition of patients in the study group regarding pain and disability of the neck. Nurses working in the general surgery department must include the stretching neck exercises in care and follow-up protocols of patients undergoing total thyroidectomy and to use the validated neck pain and disability questionnaire in monitoring patient’s condition.

BOUNDARIES OFTEN SEEM timeless features of the landscape, fixed points used by successive generations, markers that are impervious to political change. In many cases they have indeed endured for centuries, sometimes perhaps even for millennia. Maurice Beresford has tramped round many, showing how in the days before largescale maps were available the inhabitants of manors, parishes, and townships took great care to perambulate and record their boundary points and to ensure that their young members remembered them for the rest of their lives. Yet Yorkshiremen who insist on their peculiar identity will be disconcerted to find that the southern boundary of their county has not been a permanent fixture over the centuries. The border fluctuated during the conflicts between Mercia and Northumbria in ways that are not clear, the south-eastern section was altered radically by the Normans, and during the twentieth century the city of Sheffield has encroached well into North Derbyshire. A study of boundaries within Yorkshire has commented on the frequency with which water courses, ranging from large rivers to small streams, were used to divide territories? We shall find that this is true of the more enduring parts of the county's southern boundary. In landscapes where no natural divisions were apparent ditches had to be dug and banks thrown up alongside them from the spoil. Where no natural rocks reared up to pierce the horizon, crosses had to be erected. It is usually impossible to date these man-made boundary markers, though we can often prove their existence by the thirteenth century, when local records provide detailed evidence for the first time. By then, Yorkshire and its neighbouring counties in the Northern Danelaw had been in existence for two or three hundred years. We will begin at Salters brook, at the top of the Woodhead Pass, where the salters from the Cheshire 'wiches' Northwich, Middlewich, and Nantwich emerged from their long journey up the Longdendale Valley on their way to the markets at Rotherham, Barnsley, Doncaster, and Wakefield. Until 1974 the county of Cheshire had an unusual shape, with a long neck stretching north-eastwards up this valley, so important was this route to its salters. Derbyshire lay to the south of this neck and Yorkshire to the north and beyond the salters' brook in the east. It appears to be an

We describe cardiovascular responses during the Valsalva maneuver and syncope in the youngest reported patient with stretch syncope, which was induced by neck stretching and back hyperextension. The pattern of cardiovascular responses during stretch syncope was similar to that during a pathologic Valsalva maneuver, indicating adrenergic dysfunction in this patient. These findings indicate that the underlying mechanisms of these two processes are not fundamentally different, and that adrenergic dysfunction observed during the Valsalva maneuver may have resulted in stretch syncope in this patient. However, a simple Valsalva maneuver should not have sufficed to precipitate these episodes, because no syncope or significant hypotension occurred during the Valsalva maneuver. Thus, we suggest that additional factors, such as mechanical compression of vessels or physiologic responses to orthostasis, were aggravated during pathologic Valsalva maneuver responses, which were responsible for the stretch syncope observed.

Three experiments were conducted to assess brain damage resulting from percussive bolt shooting and cervical dislocation by crushing (neck crushing) in turkey hens (mean [se] bodyweight 11.4 [0.1] kg); percussive bolt shooting and blunt trauma in turkey toms (13.1 [0.2] kg); and percussive bolt shooting, blunt trauma and cervical dislocation by stretching (neck stretching) in broiler turkeys (3.9 [0.3] kg). Brain and skull damage were assessed using macroscopic and microscopic evaluations and CT. Macroscopic subcutaneous haemorrhage was significantly greater with the percussive bolt in all three experiments (hens P=0.01, toms P=0.02, broilers P=0.0003), and skull fractures were more severe for toms (P

Plagiocephaly has recently received increased attention in pediatric neurosurgical circles and its treatment has been controversial. Lack of uniformity persists in the treatment of neonates with occipital plagiocephaly. Plagiocephaly resulting from synostosis is rare. Many patients with nonsynostotic plagiocephaly have been treated surgically. Cranial remodeling orthotic devices (such as headbands and helmets) have also been reported to correct nonsynostotic plagiocephaly. The cost of orthotic treatment has risen and its validity has been contested by many third-party insurance payers. The effectiveness of orthotic treatment has not been adequately compared to the natural history of nonsynostotic plagiocephaly. The first phase of a natural history study was initiated in June 1995 at Phoenix Children's Hospital. All new patients referred with a diagnosis of plagiocephaly were categorized into two groups: those with mild-to-moderate asymmetry and those with moderate-to-severe asymmetry. Categories were determined by cephalic measurements. The patients with moderate-to-severe asymmetry were offered orthotic treatment with a cranial remodeling band. Those patients with mild-to-moderate asymmetry were observed with repeated measurements. Data in patients left untreated and followed for natural history were compared to our data published in 1994 for those treated with external cranial orthosis. Our published data in 47 patients treated with a headband during the period from 1988 to 1993 indicated that cranial vault asymmetry improved from a mean of 8.9 mm to 4 mm over an average treatment period of 4.3 months beginning when the average age of the patient was 5.9 months. Seventy-two neonates treated with neck stretching exercises and repositioning of the head without surgery or orthotic devices showed improvement in cranial vault asymmetry from 10.6 mm to 5.5 mm over an average treatment period of 4.5 months beginning when the average age of the patient was 4.5 months. This study indicates that neonates with mild-to-m oderate asymmetry who are less than 6 months of age and who are treated with physiotherapy and repositioning have similar improvement in cranial vault asymmetry as those treated with orthotic devices. The second phase of our study deals with neonates who have moderate-to-severe plagiocephaly.

The quality of the animal-human relationship and, consequently, the welfare of animals can be improved by gentle interactions such as stroking and talking. The perception of different stimuli during these interactions likely plays a key role in their emotional experience, but studies are scarce. During experiments, the standardization of verbal stimuli could be increased by using a recording. However, the use of a playback might influence the perception differently than "live" talking, which is closer to on-farm practice. Thus, we compared heifers' (n = 28) reactions to stroking while an experimenter was talking soothingly ("live") or while a recording of the experimenter talking soothingly was played ("playback"). Each animal was tested three times per condition and each trial comprised three phases: pre-stimulus, stimulus (stroking and talking) and post-stimulus. In both conditions, similar phrases with positive content were spoken calmly, using long low-pitched vowels. All tests were video recorded and analyzed for behaviors associated with different affective states. Effects on the heifers' cardiac parameters were assessed using analysis of heart rate variability. Independently of the auditory stimuli, longer durations of neck stretching occurred during stroking, supporting our hypothesis of a positive perception of stroking. Observation of ear positions revealed longer durations of the "back up" position and less ear flicking and changes of ear positions during stroking. The predicted decrease in HR during stroking was not confirmed; instead we found a slightly increased mean HR during stroking with a subsequent decrease in HR, which was stronger after stroking with live talking. In combination with differences in HRV parameters, our findings suggest that live talking might have been more pleasurable to the animals and had a stronger relaxing effect than "playback." The results regarding the effects of the degree of standardization of the stimulus on the variability of the data were inconclusive. We thus conclude that the use of recorded auditory stimuli to promote positive affective states during human-animal interactions in experimental settings is possible, but not necessarily preferable.

Gentle animal–human interactions, such as stroking, can promote positive emotions and thus welfare in cattle. While previous studies showed that stroking at the ventral neck elicited the most positive reactions in cows, intra-specific allogrooming in cattle includes different body regions and is probably guided partly by the receiver. Thus, we compared heifers’ (n = 28) reactions to stroking with the experimenter either reactively responding to perceived momentary preferences of the heifers or exclusively stroking the ventral neck. Independently of the stroking style, longer durations of neck stretching and contact occurred during stroking, supporting our hypothesis of a positive perception of stroking. We did not confirm the predicted decrease in heart rate and increase in heart rate variability, but instead found a slightly increased mean heart rate during stroking. The different stroking styles elicited differences in the heifers’ ear positions: “reactive” stroking led to longer durations of low ear positions during stroking, while during “ventral neck” stroking, the duration of back up increased. However, no other behaviours differed significantly between different stroking styles, indicating that the exact manner of stroking applied in our treatments seemed to be less important in the promotion of positive affective states in cattle through gentle human–animal interactions.

We report 40 cases of postnatal plagiocephaly seen over a 6 yr period (1981-86). Twenty cases had mild to moderate plagiocephaly (10 males, 10 females) due to muscular torticollis and responded to physical therapy and repositioning within the first few months of life. In 3 instances, a head positioning device was helpful; in 2 instances where no consistent therapy was attempted the cranial deformity persisted. An additional 9 cases had severe plagiocephaly due to persistent muscular torticollis (8 males, 1 female). When the above measures failed to correct cranial symmetry by 5 to 6 months, helmet therapy was instituted with excellent results. Another 5 cases (3 males, 2 females), had marked occipital flattening from prolonged use of an Infant Seat; 3 improved with repositioning alone, while 2 with associated muscular torticollis required either head positioning device or helmet. Four children with medical problems resulting in prolonged recumbency (CNS abnormalities, intestinal atresia, TE fistula) and associated mild torticollis, responded to simple repositioning. Two other children with unremitting torticollis due to Klippel-Feil anomaly required helmet therapy. Neck stretching exercises and repositioning were most effective in correcting plagiocephaly when instituted early in the first year of life. When torticollis was severe (more common in males) or due to underlying vertebral anomalies, helmet therapy was effective.