Massage increases the compliance of soft tissue by mobilizing and elongating the connective tissue and shortening soft tissue. Treatment for chronic neck pain includes exercise, massage, spinal manipulation, cervical traction, acupuncture, and the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents. Annual prevalence of neck pain with no identifiable causes (non-specific neck pain) is estimated to be over 30%. The release was carried out by moving the MSN up and down 3–5 times without rotation.Ĭhronic neck pain affects most adults at some point during their lifetime.
The depth of the needling ranged from 10 to 50 mm. MSN was inserted vertically (parallel to the spine) until breaking through resistance and patient reporting of distention, soreness or heaviness. For MSN release, tender points were identified manually by an experienced physician, and did not necessarily follow the traditional acupuncture system. Patients who took analgesic drugs or massage within 2 weeks prior to assessment were excluded from the analysis. The primary analysis of interest is comparison of the 12-month measures with the baseline. Only cases with the following information at prior to, and 1, 6, and 12 months after the treatment, were included in the analysis: neck disability index (NDI), numerical pain rating scale (NPRS), and active cervical range of motion (CROM).
We retrieved the medical records of all patients receiving weekly MSN release treatment for chronic neck pain at this institution during a period from May 2012 to December 2013.