Cervical Range of Motion and Stretching

Immediate Changes in Cervical Range of Motion and Myofascial Sensitivity After Standardized Manual Stretches: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT03990324

Enrollment

Registered

2019-06-18

Start date

2018-01-26

Completion date

2019-01-25

Last updated

2019-06-21

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Cervical Shortening

Keywords

range of motion, muscle sensitivity, muscle stretching

Brief summary

Cervical range of motion (ROM) is necessary to perform normal activities of daily living and deficits are associate with various pathologies. Currently, its unclear if specific myofascial stretches will improve cervical range of motion and decrease myofascial sensitivity. After a single session of the manual stretching procedure, participants immediately demonstrated increased cervical ROM and pressure pain thresholds.

Detailed description

Methods: Sixty participants with no history of neck pain or trauma were randomized into one of two groups: stretching group (n = 30), or control group (n = 30). The stretching group received a standardized manual stretching protocol. The control group did not received intervention. Pre and Post-test measurements were recorded for both groups. Within group differences and group by time interactions were evaluated for Cervical range of motion ROM and myofascial sensitivity. The immediate improvement in active ROM of the cervical spine may prompt clinicians to consider the sequencing of treatment. Stretching prior to active exercises may allow for active exercise through a larger ROM. Future research is needed to evaluate the immediate effects of stretching in the symptomatic population.

Interventions

PROCEDUREManual stretching

Manual stretching for the upper trapezius and levator scapulae muscle

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)

Masking description

Assessor of dependent variables was blinded to group assignment

Intervention model description

Randomized controlled trial

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to 60 Years

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* ages of 18-60 * active cervical flexion, right lateral flexion OR left cervical lateral flexion \<45˚

Exclusion criteria

* minors * prisoners * individuals with cognitive impairments * recent neck surgeries * pre-existing neck injuries

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Range of Motion	1 minute post-intervention	CROM including flexion, extension, side bending left, side bending right, rotation left, and rotation right

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Pressure pain thresholds	1 minute post-intervention	The PPT was recorded using a Wagner FDX-25 hand-held digital pressure algometer (Wagner Instruments, Greenwich, CT). The investigator performed each assessment uniformly by applying force at the same rate of 5 Pa/second.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026