Comparison of the effects of two different home exercise programs in neck pain

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of two different home exercise methods on exercise compliance, neck pain and neck disability in individuals with neck pain. The study, carried out between February 2018 and May 2018 at Istanbul Arel University Vocational School, was performed with 60 people aged 25-60 years who were suffering from neck pain in academic and administrative staff. The cases were randomly divided into two groups. In Group 1, the case was given home exercise method (B.M.E.Y) with printed materials whereas Group 2 was given exercise with home exercise method (V.H.E.Y) with video phone reminder. Pain intensity was evaluated before and after exercise with 'Visual Analog Scale' (VAS), whereas the level of neck disability was evaluated before and after exercise with 'Neck Pain and Disability Score' (NPDS). The obtained results were analyzed using appropriate statistical methods. Two groups were similar in terms of age and gender (p>0.05). There was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of exercise continuity. When descriptive statistics were examined, it was found that Group 2 (V.H.E.Y) had more exercise continuity. In both groups, recovery was observed before and after exercise in neck pain and neck disability evaluation (p<0.05). Descriptive statistics reveals that there was a significant difference in VAS and BADS scores in favor of Group 2 (V.H.E.Y). In conclusion, this study suggested that there was a significant improvement in pain severity and neck disability in both groups after exercise. Home exercise method with video and telephone reminders that can be applied instead of the traditional home exercise method provided with printed materials is more effective on the continuity of home exercise, pain intensity, and neck disability.