At a glance
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The Effectiveness of the Feldenkrais Method in Reducing Pain and Improving Functionality in Patients With Chronic Neck Pain
In Brief
A clinical study evaluating Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement technique, Acupuncture, and 1 other intervention for Neck Pain. Completed, enrolled 200 participants across 2 sites.
Detailed Summary
This doctoral thesis is a single blind randomized controlled clinical trial with an active control element. The intervention examined in this trial is the Awareness Through Movement (ATM) technique of the Feldenkrais Method (FM), while the standard treatment given to the control group is the combination of acupuncture and stretching. The study was designed to examine the extend of the effect of ATM, as a means of reduction of pain, improvement of functionality and psychosomatic parameters of patients with chronic neck pain, in comparison to biomedical acupuncture protocol in combination with stretching. The effectiveness of the intervention will be compared to the effect of the standard treatment, a combination of acupuncture and stretching, in relation to parameters of pain, range of motion of rotation, flexion-extension and lateral flexion of the cervical spine and the sense of position (kinesthesia), the endurance of the cervical deep flexor muscles, respiratory function and psychometric characteristics, which are evaluated at specific times (before and after the intervention-five weeks). During the discussion, the results of this study, in combination with the degree of validity of the observation, will be compared to those of the literature review. This comparison could contribute to the more effective clinical application of ATM in the treatment of chronic neck pain, either as part of physiotherapeutic rehabilitation, or as a unique approach.
Study Details
Timeline
Interventions
10 group sessions, 50 minutes each, over a period of five weeks, which will include the application of the Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement technique
10 sessions, two per week, of 25 minutes acupuncture each, which will include the insertion of a sterile disposable needle into standardized local, regional, and systematic or general acupuncture points that modify pain behavior in area of Cervical Spine.
10 sessions, two per week, of 15 minutes stretching each, which will include lateral flexion and counterrotation of the head performed for the upper part of the trapezius and the anterior scalene, lateral flexion and corresponding rotation for the levator scapulae, and flexion for the extensors of the Cervical Spine. The following muscles will be applied: upper trapezius, levator scapulae, scalenes, extensors of the Cervical Spine (splenoid, spinous, semispinalis, longus cephalic and cervical, iliocostalis cervical, multifidus and subscapularis), and sternocleidomastoid.