Cryotherapy With Mobilization Versus Cryotherapy With Mobilization Reinforced With Home Stretching Exercises in Treatment of Chronic Neck Pain: A Randomized Trial

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of cryotherapy with mobilization (CM) vs cryotherapy with mobilization reinforced with home stretching exercises (CMS) on pain and disability.

Method: A randomized clinical trial with 2-arm parallel design, concealed allocation, assessor blinding, and intention to-treat analysis. Sixty participants were in 2 groups. Group 1 included cryotherapy with mobilization twice per week for 5 weeks. Group 2 included cryotherapy with mobilization plus home stretching exercises 5 times per week for 5 weeks. The evaluations were at baseline and 2 days posttreatment for the numeric pain rating scale, neck disability index, patient-specific functional scale, and global rating of change.

Results: The CM and CMS decreased neck pain and disability (P = .000). The statistical significance between the groups' differences favored the CM in the numeric pain rating scale, patient-specific functional scale, global rating of change (P = .000), and neck disability index (P = .004).

Conclusion: Cryotherapy with mobilization for subjects in this study was more effective in decreasing disability and neck pain than CMS.