The Effect of Self-management Exercises on Neck Pain and Head and Neck Angles among Iranian University Employees: An Interventional Study

Long-term computer use as an ergonomics risk factor can generate musculoskeletal disorders, especially in the neck. This study aimed to investigate the effect of a self-management exercises intervention on both neck pain, and head and neck angles among university employees in 2021.

This experimental study was performed on 85 university staff (experimental group (N=42) and control group (N=43)) who were randomly selected based on inclusion criteria from the list of Qazvin University of Medical Sciences (Iran) employees. The experimental group did the exercises for 12 weeks with five 15-minute sessions per week. The severity of neck pain was determined using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Head and neck angles were measured at baseline and after 12 weeks using photogrammetry and Kinovea software in two postures (reading and typing).

About 60% of the participants in the experimental group reported moderate and severe neck pain, decreasing to 26.2% after the intervention. The score of neck pain intensity in the experimental group decreased in the range of 1.15-1.75. The head and gaze tilt angles and head forward position after the intervention in the experimental group showed a significant decrease. Also, the head tilt angle was significantly increased after the intervention.

The results showed that exercises could be beneficial in improving the posture of the head and neck, which caused reducing the severity of neck pain among computer users.