Effectiveness of small daily amounts of progressive resistance training for frequent neck/shoulder pain: Randomised controlled trial

Abstract: Regular physical exercise is a cornerstone in rehabilitation programs, but adherence to comprehensive exercise remains low. This study determined the effectiveness of small daily amounts of progressive resistance training for relieving neck/shoulder pain in healthy adults with frequent symptoms; 174 women and 24 men working at least 30h per week and with frequent neck/shoulder pain were randomly assigned to resistance training with elastic tubing for 2 or 12minutes per day 5 times per week, or weekly information on general health (control group). Primary outcomes were changes in intensity of neck/shoulder pain (scale 0 to 10), examiner-verified tenderness of the neck/shoulder muscles (total tenderness score of 0 to 32), and isometric muscle strength at 10weeks. Compared with the control group, neck/shoulder pain and tenderness, respectively, decreased 1.4 points (95% confidence interval −2.0 to −0.7, p <0.0001) and 4.2 points (95% confidence interval −5.7 to −2.7, p <0.0001) in the 2-minute group and 1.9 points (95% confidence interval −2.5 to −1.2, p <0.0001) and 4.4 points (95% confidence interval −5.9 to −2.9, p <0.0001) in the 12-minute group. Compared with the control group, muscle strength increased 2.0 Nm (95% confidence interval 0.5 to 3.5Nm, p =0.01) in the 2-minute group and 1.7Nm (95% confidence interval 0.2 to 3.3 Nm, p =0.02) in the 12-minute group. In conclusion, as little as 2minutes of daily progressive resistance training for 10weeks results in clinically relevant reductions of pain and tenderness in healthy adults with frequent neck/shoulder symptoms. Trial registration: www.isrctn.org/ISRCTN60264809. In generally healthy adults with frequent neck/shoulder muscle pain, as little as 2minutes of daily progressive resistance training reduces pain and tenderness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]