Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research (Oct 2024)
Sustainable Neck Pain Management for Homemakers: An Experimental Study
Abstract
Introduction: Neck Pain (NP), a major global disability, disproportionately affects women, especially homemakers performing repetitive domestic tasks with poor ergonomics. Regular exercise helps, but access might be limited. Telerehabilitation, using technology for remote care, emerges as a potential solution. Homemakers with NP often lack access to exercise programmes. This study tests if telerehabilitation with exercises and ergonomics improves their function. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a combined tele-rehabilitation programme incorporating structured neck exercises and ergonomic advice for the sustainable management of NP among homemakers experiencing non-specific NP. Materials and Methods: This experimental study was carried out at BV(DU), School of Physiotherapy on 63 female homemakers residing at Sangli city, Maharashtra. The duration of study was one year from March 2023 to April 2024. Participants aged 25-55, with moderate NP (VAS 2-5) and performing tasks like chopping, mopping, and lifting for more than 4 hours a day, were included. A 30-day telerehabilitation programme with daily supervised exercises and ergonomic advice was carried out. Wilcoxon Matched Pairs test was used to compare pretest and post-test VAS, Neck Disability Index (NDI), performance, and Manual Muscle Testing (MMT) scores. The p-value: 0.001 (at 5% level of significance). Results: The combined intervention significantly improved pain, strength, quality of life, and all components of the ICF Core Set, a standardised outcome measure for disability. 68.46% reduction was seen in VAS scores; 83.68% reduction was seen in NDI scores with effect size 0.9570. Maximum improvement of 100% was seen in code d4103 (sitting) and a minimum improvement of 40.86% was seen in code d4105 (bending). Conclusion: Telerehabilitation with structured neck exercises and ergonomic advice can effectively reduce pain, improve strength and quality of life, and enhance function in homemakers with NP. This study also highlights the ICF Core Set’s usefulness in evaluating NP interventions. Telerehabilitation offers a promising, accessible treatment option for individuals facing barriers to in-person care.
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