Assessment of the effects of manual techniques on neck pain.

Introduction
The research focused on assessing the effects of a set of manual techniques applied in the anterior neck region on pain and ability to perform everyday activities by the study participants. The aim of the study was to assess the influence of selected manual techniques on tissues located in the anterior region of the neck and on an index of disability caused by neck pain.

Material and methods
The study included 31 individuals (26 females and 5 males) aged 23-53 (mean=35 years) who were randomly divided into 2 groups, i.e. the study group (n=16, 13 females, 3 males) and the control group (n=15, 13 females, 2 males). The participants from the study group underwent a procedure which included five techniques performed on the anterior neck, i.e. superficial cervical fascia stretch, infrahyoid muscle stretch – pretracheal fascia, carotid sheath stretch, deep cervical fascia stretch, suspensory ligament of pleural cupula stretch. The participants from the control group underwent laser therapy on the cervical and thoracic spine with the device switched off. The treatment effectiveness was assessed with the use of the Neck Disability Index (NDI). The measurements were made before and five days after the therapy.

Results
Compared to the control group, the mean total score in the NDI increased significantly by 8.5 points (17%) (p>0.05) in the study group.

Conclusions
The study results indicated that performing osteopathic procedures in the anterior neck region reduces neck pain and disability level in patients.