Study Summary

30 hospital employees with chronic neck pain lasting at least six months were randomized to receive either post-isometric relaxation combined with a classical massage or a classical massage alone. All participants completed the intervention and were included in the final analysis. The outcomes of interest were pain intensity, pressure pain threshold, and cervical range of motion. Pain intensity was assessed using a visual analog scale, pain threshold using digital algometry, and range of motion using goniometric measurements. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and immediately after a single treatment session. Overall, the results of the study revealed that while both groups demonstrated significant immediate improvements in all outcomes, the group receiving post-isometric relaxation in addition to the massage experienced significantly greater improvements across all pain, pain-threshold, and cervical mobility measures. These findings suggest that post-isometric relaxation provides meaningful additive short-term benefit when combined with massage in healthcare workers with neck pain.