title: The clinical and EMG assessment of the effects of stabilization exercise on nonspecific chronic neck pain: A randomized controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Neck pain is an important cause of disability. In spite of its high prevalence rate, treatment of the disorder is a challenging topic. Stabilization exercise has been the topic of many studies.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To compare the effects of stabilization and routine exercises on chronic neck pain.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty patients were randomly assigned into either stabilization or routine exercise groups and undertook a 10-week training program. Electromyographic (EMG) activity was recorded from Sternocleidomastoid (SCM), Anterior Scalene (AS) and Splenius Capitis (SC) muscles bilaterally. Endurance time of deep flexor muscles was measured by chronometer.Pain and disability were measured using Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and neck disability index (NDI) questionnaire, respectively before and after training period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Findings revealed significant decreased pain and disability in both groups after intervention (P< 0/001). Flexor muscles endurance of stabilization group was significantly increased compared with that of routine (P< 0/001). Also EMG activity of SCM, AS and SC muscles were significantly decreased in stabilization group compared with routine (P< 0/001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increased deep flexor endurance and decreased EMG activity of SCM, AS and SC muscles suggest an important role for stabilizing exercises on reducing the activity of superficial muscles in chronic neck pain.
authors.affiliation: Physiotherapy Department, Faculty of Rehabilitation, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Fariba
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ghaderi
authors.affiliation: Road Traffic Injury Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.|Department of Statistics and Epidemiology, Faculty of Health, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Asghari
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Jafarabadi
authors.affiliation: Mobility Impairment Research Center, Physiotherapy Department, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran.
authors.forename: Khodabakhsh
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Javanshir
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D004576:Electromyography; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009334:Neck Muscles / Q000503:physiopathology*; D019547:Neck Pain / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Neck pain; electromyography; stabilization exercise