[Efficacy of eight weeks of exercise therapy for neck pain among general dentists practicing in Tehran]

ABSTRACT

The prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints is high among dentists; however, only a few studies have focused on this topic. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of an exercise program for treatment of neck pain in dentists practicing in Tehran.A questionnaire was administered among 46 dentists in Tehran matched by age, gender [all males] and neck pain complaints in the past six months. Subjects were randomly divided into two groups. The first group received exercise therapy while the second group was given no exercise. Pain was measured at two months after the intervention using the visual analog scale [VAS]. Data were analyzed using t-test and p<0.05 was considered statistically significant.The t-test showed significant improvement of neck pain in the first group after the intervention [p<0.05]. The results showed that exercise therapy can be effective for treatment of neck pain. Therefore, regular exercise by dentists can prevent neck pain and other musculoskeletal disorders