Abstract:
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of contemporaneous cervical traction and infrared exposure (Group I) in the treatment of non-specific neck discomfort in comparison to the effectiveness of sequential cervical traction followed by exposure to an infrared lamp (Group II). The research project included a total of 52 participants who were randomly assigned to one of two groups. Treatment was administered to each group for a total of five consecutive days. According to the findings, both treatments led to improvements in cervical disability and intensity of pain that were statistically significant enough to be considered significant. Group I, in which patients were subjected to simultaneous infrared radiation and cervical traction, was shown to have significantly lower ratings on both the Neck Disability Index (NDI) and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). On the other hand, the VAS decreased from 7.3±0.933 to 3.4±0.640, and the NDI decreased from 17.81±1.551 to 10.1±1.476. The NDI decreased from 17.1±1.50 to 11.40±2.096 in Group II, which received sequential therapy. Additionally, the VAS decreased from 6.9±0.78 to 4.1±0.860. Both of these reductions were observed in the present study. Based on the statistical analysis, it was observed that there were significant differences (p < 0.0001) between the two groups. When comparing the post-treatment assessments of Group, I and Group II, it was found that there were significant differences in the degree of improvement. This was observed in both the VAS and the NDI. These findings provide valuable information regarding the efficacy of these therapies, which can direct future therapeutic decisions for the management of neck discomfort that is not specific to a particular condition.
