EFFECTS OF EXERCISE PROGRAMS ON THE CERVICAL SYNDROME: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

ABSTRACT Cervical syndrome is one of the most common painful conditions of modern times. It can be defined as a set of disorders caused by degenerative changes to the joints of the cervical spine. The clinical picture of a person affected by the cervical syndrome includes pain, increased tone of the neck muscles, as well as the muscles of the shoulder girdle, reduced range of motion of the cervical spine, etc. This study aimed to determine the effects of exercise programs on cervical syndrome based on a systematic review of previous research. PubMed, Google Scholar, SCIndex, and Medline databases were all searched to compile data on the effects of exercise programs on cervical syndrome. The following keywords were used in the search: cervical syndrome, physical exercise, and neck pain. The inclusion criteria were that the papers were written in English, were available in full text, and were published between 2015 and 2020. Based on the set criteria, 13 studies were included in the final analysis. Based on their analysis, it was determined that various forms of physical exercise programs have numerous positive effects among people affected by the cervical syndrome (reduction of pain, increased range of motion of the cervical spine, increased muscle strength and endurance of neck muscles, relaxation of cervical flexor muscles, reduction of pain in response to pressure, reduction of nocturnal neck pain, etc.). Physical exercise programs lead to strengthening and increased flexibility. By strengthening the musculature, the support that the muscles give to the surrounding joints increases, while the increase in flexibility affects the function of the joints and enables a greater range of motion, which is reduced by cervical syndrome. Due to all the previously mentioned positive effects of physical exercise programs among people affected by the cervical syndrome, physical exercise programs should be included as their first-line treatment.