Extended Multicenter Study on the Postural Shirt for Women With Chronic Nonspecific Cervical Pain: A Randomized Crossover Clinical Trial

TL;DR

A study found that a posture-supporting shirt was as effective as exercise in reducing chronic neck pain in women, and it also reduced pain medication use.

Contribution

This is the first multicenter randomized crossover trial comparing a postural shirt to exercise for chronic nonspecific cervical pain in women.

Findings

Both the postural shirt and exercise significantly reduced pain intensity in participants.

The postural shirt group used less pain medication compared to the exercise group.

Both interventions improved neck disability and psychological pain factors.

Abstract

Materials and methods

This is a multicenter randomized crossover study. This study included women between 21 and 55 years old with chronic nonspecific cervical pain (NCP) ≥3 on the visual analogue scale (VAS), able to wear the Medi Posture Plus Force (MPF) shirt, perform the exercises, and attend the follow-up assessments. Participants were allocated to either perform exercises (Ex group) or wear MPF (MPF group). The crossover between interventions was separated by a three-month washout period. We analyzed the effects of both interventions on pain intensity and posture as primary outcomes and neck disability (Neck Disability Index (NDI)), psychological factors (Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS)), and pain reliever intake as secondary outcomes.

Results

A total of 62 participants were randomized for sequencing, and after the two intervention periods, 56 were analyzed in the Ex group and 54 in the MPF group. Both interventions significantly improved pain (p = 0.001 for Ex and p < 0.010 for MPF). The mean NDI and PCS improved significantly in the Ex (p = 0.021 for NDI and p = 0.001 for PCS) and MPF groups (p = 0.042 for NDI and p < 0.010 for PCS). The intake of pain relievers was lower in the MPF group (8%) than in the Ex group (23.5%; p = 0.030).

Conclusion

MPF shirt was equal, and to some extent superior, to exercise for chronic NCP in women healthcare workers regarding pain intensity and other outcome measures. The use of MPF significantly decreased pain reliever intake compared to exercise.

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