목적 : 본 연구의 목적은 Nintendo Wii Sports 프로그램을 이용한 가상현실공간 훈련이 만성 요통 클라이언트의 균형 능력에 미치는 영향을 알아보고자 하였다. 연구방법 : 추후 연구를 위한 예비 연구로서 개별실험 연구 AB디자인을 사용하였으며, 연구대상자는 2명이었다. 검사자는 연 구대상자의 균형 능력을 기초선 기간 1주 동안 3회, 치료선 4주 동안 1주 3회씩 균형 능력을 측정하였다. 연구대상자가 수행 한 Nintendo Wii Sports의 가상현실공간 훈련은 세 개의 활동으로 구성되었으며 1회기 총 운동 시간은 45분이었다. 결과 : 연구에 참여한 만성 요통 클라이언트의 균형 능력은 치료선에서 기초선과 동일하거나 향상되었다. 결론 : 본 연구를 토대로 지속적인 연구가 이루어진다면 Nintendo Wii Sports가 만성 요통 클라이언트의 균형 능력을 향상시키기 위한 새로운 치료 방법으로 사용될 수 있을 것이다.

The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of manipulation on the velocity of cerebral blood flow and level of pain in cervicogeinc headache patients. The velocity of cerebral blood flow of 30 cervicogeinc headache patients(male=15, female=15, age=24.00±3.60) and 33 normal subjects(male=15, female=18, age=23.27±3.00) was compared. The 30 cervicogeinc headache patients were divided into suboccipitalis relaxation group, cervical manipulation group, and placebo group, and each were given different interventions. The velocity of cerebral blood flow and pain level was measured before intervention, and 1, 2, 3 weeks after intervention. The velocity of cerebral blood flow was measured with the Transcranial Doppler(TCD), and pain level was measured with visual analog scale(VAS). Blood flow velocity of middle cerebral artery in cervicogeinc headache patients was slower than those in healthy subjects. Physical therapy intervention did not have significant effect on velocity of cerebral blood flow, but slowly decreased at intervention for pain level increased. The suboccipitalis relaxation group and cervical manipulation group showed significant effect in decreasing pain level compared to the placebo group(p＜.05). Directly applied manipulation therapy in the neck area not only has effect on joint of cervical and soft tissue but also on blood vessels and nerves which pass the neck area, and because of those results of manual therapy seems to help recovery.

We investigated the role of the central MAPK pathways in extra-territorial (referred) pain resulting from inflammation of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Experiments were carried out on male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 220-280 g. Under anesthesia, these animals were injected with 50 μL of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) into the TMJ using a Hamilton syringe. In the control group, saline was injected into the TMJ. To identify the extent of inflammation of the TMJ, Evans blue dye (0.1%, 5 mg/kg) was injected intravenously at 1, 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15 days after CFA injection. The concentration of Evans blue dye in the extracted TMJ tissue was found to be significantly higher in the CFA-treated animals than in the saline-treated group. Air-puff thresholds in the vibrissa pad area were evaluated 3 days before and at 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 days after CFA injection into the TMJ. Referred mechanical allodynia was established at 3 days, remained until 12 days, and recovered to preoperative levels at 18 days after CFA injection. This referred mechanical allodynia was observed in contralateral side area. To investigate the role of central MAPK pathways, MAPK inhibitors (10 μg) were administrated intracisternally 9 days after CFA injection. SB203580, a p38 MAPK inhibitor, significantly attenuated referred mechanical allodynia, as compared with the vehicle group. PD98059, a MEK inhibitor, also reduced CFA-induced referred mechanical allodynia. These results suggest that TMJ inflammation produces extra-territorial mechanical allodynia, and that this is mediated by central MAPK pathways.

통증은 매우 복합적이고 다양한 수준의 경험으로 주관적이거나 객관적일 수 있다. 침술은 통증을 치료하기 위한 아주 오래된 방법이며, 경락 이론을 바탕으로 한다. 침의 효과에 대한 임상적 결과들은 수없이 많이 있지만, 그 기능에 대한 과학적인 이해는 부족한 상태이다. 또한, 실생활에서의 통증 유발 원인과 침술을 통한 통증 억제 또는 치료는 그 차이가 매우 크게 느껴진다. 그러나 최근 연구들을 통해 통증과 침술의 관련성이 밝혀지고 있다. 본 논문에서는 최근 급격히 발달하고 있는 뇌영상 기술들(functional magnetic resonance images, 및 positron emission tomography, electroencephalograph, magnetoencephalography)을 간략히 살펴보고, 이들을 이용한 통증 및 침술 연구들을 살펴보고자 한다. 통증과 침술에 관여하는 뇌 영역들을 확인하여, 이 둘의 유사성 및 차이를 비교하고, 뇌영상 기술을 통해 밝혀지는 뇌의 정보처리 과정을 통해 통증과 침술에 대한 이해를 넓히고자 한다.

The purpose of this study was to establish reliability and validity of the Northwick Park Neck Pain Questionnaire (NPQ) translated into Korean for neck pain patients. Sixty-two subjects (35 males, 27 females) with neck pain enrolled in the study. They completed a standardized self-administered questionnaire that included pain intensity, sleeping, sensory at night, duration of symptoms, carrying, reading and watching television, working, social activities, and driving. Reliability was determined by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Cronbach's alpha by internal consistency. Validity was examined by correlating the NPQ scores to the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score. Test-retest reliability of the translated versions of the NPQ was good ICC(2,1)=.83 (95%CI=.85~.95). Cronbach's alpha value for NPQ was found to be .87 and this was statistically significant (p<.05). The criterion-related validity coefficients was .75 (p<.01). We concluded that the Korean version NPQ was shown to be a reliable and valid instrument for the assessment of neck pain.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of sciatic nerve mobilization technique on perceived pain, straight leg raise test (SLR), and strength of knee extensor, location of symptoms (LOS) in patients with chronic low back pain. 22 patients with chronic low back pain were recruited for this study. The subjects were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (EG) or the control group (CG), with 11 patients in each group. All patients received a routine physical therapy (hot pack and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation). The mobilization technique of the sciatic nerve was performed for 10 min in the case of the EG subjects. Outcome measurements included the level of the perceived pain, SLR, and strength of the knee extensor, LOS. The measurements were recorded 3 times: before the intervention, after the intervention, and at 1 hour of follow up. The two groups did not significantly differ with regard to the level of perceived pain, SLR, and strength of the knee extensor, LOS before the test (p>.05). In the case of the EG subjects, all the variables measured after the intervention significantly differed from those measured before the intervention (p<.05). However, in the case of the CG subjects, a significant difference was noted only with regard to the level of perceived pain (p<.05). The findings indicate that sciatic nerve mobilization technique exerts a positive effect on the control of subjective symptoms and knee strength in patients with chronic low back pain. Further studies are required to generalize the result of this study.

WMSD occurs by accumulating the visible position and movements. Therefore, it is easier to prevent WMSD from occurring than other diseases when each employee is aware of the factors which cause WMSD. Hence, We need to develop exercise remedy, which can be done without using any exercise equipments and regardless places. The exercise prescription for those for LBP was to do the upper body exercise remedy twice in the morning and another twice in the afternoon and the spinal exercise remedy and the lower body exercise remedy once in the morning and once in the afternoon. We measured their maximum muscular strength every second week using a fitness machine so that we could compare the differences of the muscular strength of the test group and the comparison group. Therefore this research presented the fact that the exercise remedy is effective to prevent and cure LBP through a scientific test. And it confirmed that the exercise remedy by the Ergonomic exercise prescriptions is effective on LBP.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the most effective and comprehensible method for the assessment of resting scapular position (RSP) and pain level (PL) in unilateral shoulder pain (USP). Fifty volunteers with USP were involved in the study. Resting scapular assessments of the patients' pain sides (PS) and non-pain sides (NPS) were evaluated. The assessment tools for RSP are: 1) sternal notch (SN) to coracoid process (CP) distance 2) 3rd thoracic spinous process (T3S) to posterolateral angle of acromion (PLA) distance 3) scapular index 4) 8th thoracic spinous process (T8S) to inferior angle of scapular (IAS) distance 5) supine measurement of pectoralis minor (PM) distance 6) standing PM distance 7) PM index (PMI) and 8) PM pain. The paired t-test was used to compare PS and NPS in RSP. Pearson correlation analysis was used to confer a relationship between the PL and RSP. The results of this study indicated that: 1) all the variables between the PS and NPS for RSP were statistically significant(p<.05) and 2) the PMI showed the strongest relationship in the correlation analysis between RSP and PL(p<.05, r=.37). Therefore, it can be concluded that there is a relationship between PMI and PL and it is suggested that an assessment tool using PMI to diagnose shoulder pain would be clinically effective.

This study was conducted to find the effects of scapular taping on muscle activities of the scapular rotators and upper trapezius pain in subjects with upper trapezius pain. Fifteen male subjects were recruited from Yonsei University for this study. Muscle activity of upper trapezius, lower trapezius, and serratus anterior was measured using surface electromyography. Visual analog scale was used for measuring upper trapezius pain. The subjects were asked to maintain shoulder flexion position with holding a 1 kg dumbbell in standing position. Scapular taping was applied over the muscle belly of the upper trapezius and attached parallel with the lower trapezius muscle fibers. For normalization, % maximal voluntary isometric contraction (%MVIC) was conducted. Paired t-test was applied to compare the muscle activities of scapular rotator and upper trapezius pain before and after applying the scapular taping. The muscle activity of the upper trapezius muscle and serratus anterior decreased significantly after tape application (p<.05). However, no significant difference was observed in lower trapezius muscle. The level of pain in the upper trapezius muscle significantly decreased after tape application (p<.05). The results of this study suggest that scapular taping can be used an additional therapy for reducing muscle activity of upper trapezius, serratus anterior and upper trapezius pain during shoulder flexion in patient with upper trapezius pain.

This study investigated the relationships between Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs), contributing factors, and the occupational stress of physical therapists. Self-reported questionnaires were given to 180 physical therapists in Gangwon Province. Variables examined included the prevalence of pain sites related to WMSDs; pain intensity; pain pattern; and job stress, which is thought to involve the physical environment; job demand; insufficient job control; interpersonal conflict; job insecurity; organizational system; reward system; and occupational culture. Among physical therapists, work-related musculoskeletal pain commonly affected the low back (30.1%), shoulder (29.3%), and wrist (12.2%). The sites of work-related musculoskeletal pain treated medically were the low back (22.8%), shoulder (19.8%), neck (12.7%), and wrist (12.1%). "Repeating the same work constantly" was suggested to be the major cause of the pain. The younger therapists were significantly more likely to feel high job stress due to the physical environment (p<.05), job demand (p<.05), and organizational system (p<.01). Women were more likely to feel greater job stress related to job demand, insufficient job control, the organization system, and job rewards. Men were more likely to feel greater job stress related to job insecurity. Weak positive relationships were observed between work-related musculoskeletal pain and job stress, which is thought to involve the physical environment; job demand; insufficient job control; interpersonal conflict; job insecurity; organizational system; reward system; and occupational culture. Physical therapists appear to be at higher risk of WMSDs because 80.1% of the physical therapists studied experienced work-related musculoskeletal pain. To reduce the risk, we need intervention strategies such as preventive education, ergonomically designed medical equipment, a psychosocial approach to work conditions, improved mechanical conditions related to therapeutic patterns, and an institutional infrastructure with sufficient personnel and scheduling.

We recently described a novel animal model of trigeminal neuropathic pain following compression of the trigeminal ganglion (Ahn et al., 2009). In our present study, we adapted this model using male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing between 250-260 g and then analyzed the behavioral responses of these animals following modified chronic compression of the trigeminal ganglion. Under anesthesia, the rats were mounted onto a stereotaxic frame and a 4% agar solution (10μL) was injected in each case on the dorsal surface of the trigeminal ganglion to achieve compression without causing injury. In the control group, the rats received a sham operation without agar injection. Air-puff, acetone, and heat tests were performed at 3 days before and at 3, 7, 10, 14, 17, 21, 24, 30, 40, 55, and 70 days after surgery. Compression of the trigeminal ganglion produced nociceptive behavior in the trigeminal territory. Mechanical allodynia was established within 3 days and recovered to preoperative levels at approximately 60 days following compression. Mechanical hyperalgesia was also observed at 7 days after compression and persisted until the postoperative day 40. Cold hypersensitivity was established within 3 days after compression and lasted beyond postoperative day 55. In contrast, compression of the trigeminal ganglion did not produce any significant thermal hypersensitivity when compared with the sham operated group. These findings suggest that compression of the trigeminal ganglion without any injury produces prolonged nociceptive behavior and that our rat model is a useful system for further analysis of trigeminal neuralgia.

Psychsocial factors appear to play an important role in the maintenance and development of chronic disability from low back pain. Fear of pain may be more disabling than the pain itself in patients with nonacute low back pain. The purpose of this study was to identify the contribution of gender, age, depression and pain-related fear to pain intensity and disability in nonacute low back pain patients. This was a cross-sectional survey study of eighty four patients who had low back pain for at least 4 weeks. More than moderate correlations were found between pain intensity, disability, fear-avoidance beliefs and depression. Regression analyses revealed that disability ratings and fear-avoidance beliefs for work activities significantly contributed to the prediction of pain intensity, even when controlling for age, gender and pain duration. Also, fear-avoidance beliefs for physical activity, pain intensity, age and depression, significantly contributed to the prediction of disability, even when controlling for gender and pain duration. These findings suggest that disability scores and fear-avoidance beliefs for work activities are important determinants of pain intensity. They also suggest that fear-avoidance beliefs for physical activity, pain intensity, age and depression are important determinants of disability.

This study is performed to investigate the difference of the spinal stability system with and without low back pain. There were 9 participants with low back pain and 9 asymptomatic subjects to be recruited, they were measured thoracic and lumbar curvature, trunk muscle activation in upright sitting postures and slump sitting, back muscle endurance, and lumbar proprioception. Spinal curvature and surface electromyography of 4 trunk muscles were measured in an upright sitting postures and slump sitting in 18 subjects. The result of the study was that there were significant differences between the groups in spinal curvature (p<.05), significantly higher external oblique activity and less internal oblique in the low back pain group than the healthy subjects (p<.05), and significantly less proprioception in the low back pain group (p<.05). But there was not a significant difference between the trunk muscle endurance groups. According to the result, the low back pain group had greater thoracic extension and higher global muscle activity in the upright sitting posture and less proprioception. This study was useful to suggest postural training for normal muscle activation, selective muscle strengthening to prevent chronic deterioration, and helpful in making a treatment plan to indicate a synthetic care method that includes increasing proprioception.

The objectives of this study were to investigate the relationship between fear-avoidance beliefs and functional status in individuals suffering from low back pain, and to identify factors that influence on fear-avoidance beliefs, functional status and pain. A cross-sectional study included 214 individuals with low back pain. Each of subjects completed a fear-avoidance beliefs questionnaire (FABQ) which divided into two subscales, FABQ for physical activity (FABQ-PA) and FABQ for work(FABQ-W), Oswestry disability index (ODI) and numeric pain rating scale (NPRS). Individuals with radiating pain were significantly higher in FABQ-PA, FABQ-total, and ODI scores than with no radiation pain (p<.05). Individuals who had received surgery were significantly higher in FABQ-PA, FABQ-total, ODI and NPRS scores when compared with individuals who had not received it (p<.05). And individuals with taking medication were significantly higher in all variables (FABQ-PA, FABQ-W, FABQ-total ODI and NPRS) than individuals not taking medication (p<.05). In correlation analysis. age appeared to be significantly correlated with FABQ-PA, FABQ-total and ODI scores (p<.05), and all variables was significantly correlated with each other (p<.01). These findings indicate that individuals suffering from low back pain have psychosocial problems such as fear-avoidance beliefs as well as functional status and pain. Fear-avoidance beliefs may contribute to aggravate physical symptoms, and therefore it should be carefully considered for the management of individuals with low back pain.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of abdominal drawing-in maneuver (ADIM) on peak exploratory flow (PEF), forced exploratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), and low back pain during forced expiration. Twenty-two subjects (14 subjects in experimental group, 8 subjects in control group) participated in this study. The stabilizer was used for ADIM training for five consecutive days. Vitalograph PEF/FEV1 DIARY and visual analogue scale (VAS) were used to determine forced expiratory pulmonary function and low back pain, respectively. Independent t-test and analysis of covariance were used for statistical analysis with a significance level of .05. The findings of this study were as follows: 1) There were no significant differences of ADIM effect on PEF and FEV1 between experimental group and control group. 2) There was a significant pain reduction in experimental group with ADIM. 3) PEF and FEV1 increased significantly in the fifth day compared with the first day pre-exercise baseline. Therefore, it is concluded that ADIM was effective in improving PEF and FEV1, and reducing VAS during forced expiration in patients with chronic low back pain.

목적 : 연구의 목적은 산재요양 후 복귀한 요통산재근로자의 업무적응을 위해 개발한 작업강화 프로그램의 효과를 검증하는 것이다. 연구방법 : 이를 위해 창원의 소형자동차 생산업체에서 6개월 이상 산재요양을 한 후 복귀한 요통산재근로자를 대상으로 2005년 8월 1일부터 11월 30일 사이에 연구를 실시하였다. 작업강화 프로그램에 참여할 실험군(18명)과 대조군(20명)은 노사협의를 통해 선정하였다. 실험군은 두려움-회피 신념 모델을 기초로 개발된 개별화된 작업강화 프로그램에 하루 2시간씩, 주 5회, 약 8주간 참여하였다. 대조군은 기존의 방식대로 2주간을 적응기간을 거쳐 이미 복귀한 상태에 있었다. 본 프로그램의 효과를 검증하기 위해 실험군의 프로그램 참여 전․후의 두려움-회피 신념, 요통 장애, 시각적 통증 수준, Becks 우울 척도의 점수, 그리고 안전한 최대 중량의 차이를 비교하였다. 그리고 이들 평가항목들에 대해 대조군의 평가결과와 비교하였다. 결과 : 실험군은 프로그램 참여 전에 비해 참여 후에 업무와 관련된 두려움-회피 신념(FABQ1-work), 요통 장애 수준, 시각적 통증 수준, Becks 우울 척도의 점수 및 안전한 최대 중량이 통계적으로 유의하게 향상되었다(p＜.05). 그리고 실험군은 평균 35.8(±6.4)일, 약 6～8주간 작업강화 프로그램에 참여하였는데, 이를 통하여 이미 정상적으로 업무를 수행 중인 대조군과 대등한 수준까지 기능적으로 향상되었다. 결론 : 본 연구에서 실시한 개별화된 작업강화 프로그램은 복귀한 요통산재근로자의 업무적응 기간을 단축시키는 데 효과적이었다. 그러므로 요통산재근로자의 조기 직업복귀 지원을 위해 작업강화 프로그램 도입이 정책적으로 검토되어야 할 것이다.

The present study investigated the role of peripheral group I, II, and III metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) in mustard oil (MO)-induced nociceptive response in the masseter muscles of lightly anesthetized rats. Experiments were carried out on male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 300-350 gm. After initial anesthesia with sodium pentobarbital (40 mg/kg, i.p.), one femoral vein was cannulated and connected to an infusion pump for intravenous infusion of sodium pentobarbital. The rate of infusion was adjusted to provide a constant level of anesthesia. MO (30 μL) was injected into the mid-region of the left masseter muscle via a 30-gauge needle over 10 seconds. After 30 mL injection of 5, 10, 15, or 20% MO into the masseter muscle, total number of hindpaw-shaking behavior was monitored. Intramuscular administration of MO significantly produced hindpawshaking behavior in a dose-dependent manner, as compared with the vehicle (mineral oil)-treated group. Intramuscular pretreatment with 10 or 100 ng DHPG, a group I mGluRs agonist, enhanced MO-induced hindpaw-shaking behavior, while APDC (20 or 200 μg), a group II mGluRs agonist, or L-AP4 (2 μg), a group III mGluRs agonist, significantly reduced MO-induced nociceptive behavior. The antinociception, produced by group II or III mGluRs agonists, was abolished by pretreatment with LY341495, a group II mGluRs antagonist, or CPPG, a group III mGluRs antagonist, res-pectively. Based on these observations, peripheral mGluRs differentially modulated MO-induced nociceptive behavior response in the craniofacial muscle pain and peripheral group II and III mGluRs agonists could be used in treatment of craniofacial muscle nociception.

The purposes of this study were to assess and modify the original classification categories of the modified Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire (ODQ) and to determine the unidimensionality of the modified ODQ applying Rasch Analysis. The data were obtained from 108 work-related low back pain patients by physical therapists. Construct validity of the scale using the Rasch model required the structure of the rating scale to be modified from 6 response levels to 4 response levels. Eight items from the modified ODQ fit the Rasch model. The items, "pain intensity" and "social life" showed misfit statistics. In general, the order of item difficulty of the remaining 8 items showed a logical item difficulty hierarchy with the "changing degree of pain" item being the most difficult and the "walk" item being the easiest. The results showed that further study is needed to expand the construct of ODQ including additional higher-level items related to work activities. This study may be useful for establishing a standard method to assess the functionality of low back pain patients.

통증(pain)은 오늘날 기능장애(impairment)나 능력장애(disability)를 치료하는데 중요한 고려 대상이 되고 있을 뿐만 아니라 치료비용 또한 사회에 엄청난 재정적 부담을 주고 있는데, 실제로 노인성질환(Geriatric disease)으로 인해 노인의료비가 급증하여 국민건강보험 재정에 막대한 영향을 미치고 있다. 이와 같은 노인의료비의 해결과 노인 가족의 부양부담 및 노인의 삶의 질 향상을 위해 2008년 7월부터 노인장기요양보험제도를 실행하게 되었다. 따라서 본 연구의 목적은 통증의 스트레스 정도 및 심리적 변화를 알아보고 통증과 심신관계를 분석하는데 있다. 심리적 변인의 중요성을 강조하고 있는 Melzack과 Wall의 통증이론을 토대로 임상에서 실제로 통증을 호소하는 환자를 대상으로 연구한 결과 다음과 같은 결론을 얻었다. 첫째, 통증에 있어 연령은 40～50대(52.3%)가 가장 많았으며, 연령에 의한 스트레스 정도는 통계적으로 유의하였으며(p<0.05), 연령에 따른 심리적 변화에 영향은 통계적으로 무의미함을 알 수 있었다. 둘째, 통증의 원인은 교통사고(35.4%)가 가장 많았고, 통증의 기간은 3개월 이상 만성 통증(69.2%)이 많았으며, 통증의 형태는 둔한 통증(dull, 41.5%)이 높아 근육이상으로 인한 통증이 많음을 알 수 있었다. 셋째, 통증으로 인한 스트레스와 심리적 변화의 상관관계는 현재의 통증으로 인하여 스트레스를 받고 있음을 알 수 있으며, 통증으로 인해 심리적 변화에 영향을 주었음을 알 수 있었다(r=0.493).Melzack과 Wall의 Gate-control theory는 지금도 가장 포괄적이고, 통증의 인지적 측면을 이해하는데 모든 이론과 관련되어 있다. 여러 형태의 통증들은 다양한 정도와 특징을 가진 감정적 고통, 일차적으로 공포, 불안, 분노 및 우울을 동반한다. 그러나 아직은 통증 정동(pain affect)보다는 통증 지각(pain sensation)에 더 관심을 갖는다. 본 연구를 통하여 통증은 심신상관의학(psychosomatic medicine) 차원에서 동통지각과 조절에 중요한 인지적 개입(cognitive interventions)인 통증을 효과적으로 조절할 수 있다는 환자의 지각이 요구된다. 본 논문의 연구 결과를 토대로 후속 논문으로 65세 이상의 노인을 대상으로 통증과 심신상관관계 연구가 필요하다고 사료된다.

This study compared the effect of therapeutic exercise with conservative treatment in women with chronic neck pain. Subjects were allocated to control, neck isometric exercise, and cervical stabilization exercise groups consisting of 29, 32, and 31 patients, respectively. The conservative treatment for the control group consisted of hot packs, ultrasound, interferential current therapy, and intermittent cervical traction. The neck isometric exercise group performed a neck isometric exercise and the cervical stabilization exercise group performed a cervical stabilization exercise. To compare the three groups, the levels of perceived pain, neck disability, and psychological depression were assessed on admission, at discharge, and one month after discharge. On admission and at discharge, the pain and neck disability scores did not differ significantly among the groups. However, one month after discharge, both the neck isometric and cervical stabilization exercise groups had significantly improved perceived pain levels as compared to control (p<.05). The improvement in the degree of neck disability was most significant in the cervical stabilization exercise group (p<.05). On comparing the changes in the variables at the three assessments for each group, there was a significant difference between the control and cervical stabilization exercise groups (p<.05). The findings indicate that therapeutic exercises, especially cervical stabilization exercises, are more effective for improving pain and neck disability than conservative treatment.