Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2011 Feb;152(2):440-446.
doi: 10.1016/j.pain.2010.11.016. Epub 2010 Dec 21.

Effectiveness of small daily amounts of progressive resistance training for frequent neck/shoulder pain: randomised controlled trial

Lars L Andersen  1 , Charlotte A Saervoll, Ole S Mortensen, Otto M Poulsen, Harald Hannerz, Mette K Zebis
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Effectiveness of small daily amounts of progressive resistance training for frequent neck/shoulder pain: randomised controlled trial

Lars L Andersen et al. Pain. 2011 Feb.

Abstract

Regular physical exercise is a cornerstone in rehabilitation programs, but adherence to comprehensive exercise remains low. This study determined the effectiveness of small daily amounts of progressive resistance training for relieving neck/shoulder pain in healthy adults with frequent symptoms; 174 women and 24 men working at least 30 h per week and with frequent neck/shoulder pain were randomly assigned to resistance training with elastic tubing for 2 or 12 minutes per day 5 times per week, or weekly information on general health (control group). Primary outcomes were changes in intensity of neck/shoulder pain (scale 0 to 10), examiner-verified tenderness of the neck/shoulder muscles (total tenderness score of 0 to 32), and isometric muscle strength at 10 weeks. Compared with the control group, neck/shoulder pain and tenderness, respectively, decreased 1.4 points (95% confidence interval -2.0 to -0.7, p<0.0001) and 4.2 points (95% confidence interval -5.7 to -2.7, p<0.0001) in the 2-minute group and 1.9 points (95% confidence interval -2.5 to -1.2, p<0.0001) and 4.4 points (95% confidence interval -5.9 to -2.9, p<0.0001) in the 12-minute group. Compared with the control group, muscle strength increased 2.0 Nm (95% confidence interval 0.5 to 3.5Nm, p=0.01) in the 2-minute group and 1.7Nm (95% confidence interval 0.2 to 3.3 Nm, p=0.02) in the 12-minute group. In conclusion, as little as 2 minutes of daily progressive resistance training for 10 weeks results in clinically relevant reductions of pain and tenderness in healthy adults with frequent neck/shoulder symptoms.

Trial registration: www.isrctn.org/ISRCTN60264809. In generally healthy adults with frequent neck/shoulder muscle pain, as little as 2 minutes of daily progressive resistance training reduces pain and tenderness.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Andersen LL, Andersen CH, Mortensen OS, Poulsen OM, Bjornlund IB, Zebis MK. Muscle activation and perceived loading during rehabilitation exercises: comparison of dumbbells and elastic resistance. Phys Ther. 2010;90:538-549.
    1. Andersen LL, Andersen JL, Suetta C, Kjaer M, Sogaard K, Sjogaard G. Effect of contrasting physical exercise interventions on rapid force capacity of chronically painful muscles. J Appl Physiol. 2009;107:1413-1419.
    1. Andersen LL, Kjaer M, Andersen CH, Hansen PB, Zebis MK, Hansen K, Sjogaard G. Muscle activation during selected strength exercises in women with chronic neck muscle pain. Phys Ther. 2008;88:703-711.
    1. Andersen LL, Kjaer M, Sogaard K, Hansen L, Kryger AI, Sjogaard G. Effect of two contrasting types of physical exercise on chronic neck muscle pain. Arthritis Rheum. 2008;59:84-91.
    1. Blangsted AK, Sogaard K, Hansen EA, Hannerz H, Sjogaard G. One-year randomized controlled trial with different physical-activity programs to reduce musculoskeletal symptoms in the neck and shoulders among office workers. Scand J Work Environ Health. 2008;34:55-65.

Publication types

Associated data