None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
The study is the first trial investigating the effect of physiotherapy on neck muscle fibrosis for post irradiated patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, NPC. Exercise and education are commonly received by patients as a means of self empowerment. These treatments will be compared. Patients with NPC are studied because they are usually young and are the breadwiner of the family in a Chinese society. The study also bears significant meaning because musculoskeletal complications post radiotherapy are commonly neglected globally.
Interventions
Patients will receive a maximal of 3 months of weekly individual multimodal physiotherapy of 1 hour session composing of neck strengthening exercise, passive stretching and education.
Sponsors
Prince of Wales Hospital
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Blinded (masking used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Patients who have: a) completed their course of radiotherapy more than three years ago; b) neck discomfort/pain, neck stiffness, and/or arm symptoms; and c) whose disease is in remission.
Exclusion criteria
Patietns will be excluded from the study if they a) have signs of active metastasis; b) have received surgical intervention for their NPC; c) are illiterate and unable to complete the questionnaire by themselves; d) have a recent (within one year) history of trauma to the neck; and e) have already been entered into another clinical trial.
Outcome results
None listed