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Background and Aim: Neck pain is one of the common diseases (66.7%), which contains different age's groups such as youn. Results of researches indicate prevalence of women neck pain is higher than men, so experiment in neck disease in female is more necessary. The aim of this study is to evaluate changes of postural stability in patient with muscular neck pain. 

Materials & Methods: Twenty patients and fifteen healthy subjects contribute in this study.  Postural sway in quiet standing was assessed in both limb stance (BLS), one limb stance (OLS) of dominant side, on a force platform with open eyes (rigid-open) and standing on a force platform with closed eyes (rigid-closed) and standing on the foam (10.5 cm-thick) with open eyes (foam-open) without shoes. All of above conditions were done with dual task. Mean changes of logarithmic displacement in medial-lateral and for- aft directions were calculated.

 Results: There are significant differences between two groups, especially following dual task, and difficult conditions of OLS and standing on the foam.

 Conclusion: Patients with neck pain have difficultly in postural control that need to attending in treatment and prevention of following damages.

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Background and Aim: Forces imposed on body members even on light working condition, may gradually result in damages caused by working. Persons engaged at goods sales centers including cashiers, may be to catch exhaustion and neuromuscular damage due to repetition of their wrist, elbow and shoulder joints movement. The aim of this research is to assess the relation between the work factors and personal characteristic in possibility of the above symptoms.
Materials and methods: The questioners form propounded at Stanford university question were asked and coded based on the target group, and having been reviewed and surveyed were later used in this research. This questioner included parts such as recording the personal characteristics, history of illnesses, clinical diagnosis and evaluation of the work environment and the hand tools. Selected individuals were randomly employed at goods sales centers from five geographical districts of Tehran.
Results: The most complaint of employees was pain and dysfunction in upper limbs, neck and shoulder. Half of subjects had carpal tunnel syndrome.
ength of work time and employment duration at sales centers increase probability of neck and shoulder pain.
Conclusion: The profession of cashiering at sales centers is one of the most stress causing jobs on the peripheral joints of upper limb, so that the lengths of working in this position and the amount of activity have a positive effect on the increase of neuromuscular disorder. Apply of correct pattern of using the tools and the equipment in this work environment could substantially control the negative effects of this type of job. The most of complains expressed by individuals taking part in this research have been related to sign and symptoms of involvement of median nerve in the wrist and referral pain in the neck, shoulder and arm.

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Background and Aim: Neck pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders in industrial society. There are complex changes in motor control of cervical spine in neck pain patients. The aim of this study was to compare the latency of activation of neck muscles during upper limb movement between neck pain patients and healthy subjects.

Materials and Methods: Eighteen chronic non-specific neck pain patients and eighteen healthy subjects who were matched in age, weight and height participated in this study. Subjects were standing on the ground and performed flexion and abduction movement of the right arm until at least 90 degree in five trials and consequently surface electromyography of neck muscles was recorded. Activation time of neck muscles was determined in comparison with the activation time of deltoid muscle (as an event) and then compared between two groups.  

Results: Findings of this study showed that in patients with chronic neck pain and healthy subjects during upper limb flexion and abduction movements, the superficial neck muscles were activated after deltoid activation. As well as in the neck pain patients compared to the healthy subjects superficial neck muscles onset was significantly appeared with delayed (P<0.05).

Conclusion: In patients with neck pain compared to healthy controls, the neck muscles were significantly delayed in responses to the internal perturbations of fast upper limb movements. It may be to increase the risk of injuries of neck region during fast upper limb movements.

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Background and Aim: The calculated parameters of the center of pressure (COP) are suitable indicators for evaluating balance in patients after rehabilitation. Therefore, determining the reliability level of each parameter is a matter of great importance. This study tried to determine the reliability of some parameters of the COP sway in patients with myofascial neck pain in different postural situations.

  

Materials and Methods: The present study is a test-retest reliability design. Twenty patients with myofascial neck pain performed a single and a double leg test with open and closed eyes on a force plate and with open eyes on foam in three sessions with a 30 minute intervals for 30 seconds. Antero-posterior and medio-lateral sway range, mean velocity and mean area of sway were calculated.

  

Results: The mean velocity showed high reliability (0.98) in all situations, but the other parameters were variable in different situations.

  

Conclusions: The results showed that some COP parameters are highly reliable in assessment of patients with myofascial neck pain.

  

Keywords: Reliability, Myofascial neck pain, Center of pressure, Force plate

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Background and Aim: Osteoarthrosis is a common condition in the cervical region due to the high mobility of this region. Despite the clinical popularity of traction that is often prescribed for patients with neck pain, there is no agreement on the effectiveness of traction. Due to the high controversy and the lack of experimental documents in the efficiency of the pneumatic traction device in reducing symptoms of neck pain, present study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of the pneumatic traction device in reducing pain and amount of drug use, and improving disability level in patients with neck osteoarthrosis compared to the control group.

Materials and Methods: Twenty-six patients with neck pain aroused by osteoarthrosis were randomly assigned into two groups of control or experimental. The control group received hot pack, TENS, US, exercise therapy and ergonomic training as their usual physical therapy care. Patients in the experimental group also benefited from the sustained traction via the pneumatic traction device too. All participants were treated for 10 sessions. Pain (NPRS), the level of disability (NDI), the number of sedative drugs and NSAIDs were evaluated in the beginning of the first session and at the end of the last session.

Results: A significant decrease in the levels of the pain and disability in both groups were found (P<0.05). The decrease of pain and disability in the experimental group was significantly higher (P<0.05) than the control group. There was no significant difference in terms of the sedatives and NSAIDs within and between the groups at the end of the last session (P>0.05).

Conclusion: Although physical therapy and ergonomic trainings may lead to a significant improvement in neck pain and related disability in the osteoarthrosis patients, the use of pneumatic traction device can increase the rate of improvement.

Key words: Spondylosis, Neck pain, Traction, Air neck traction device