Postural awareness training can be a useful tool in improving chronic neck pain in clients, according to a study published in Spine.

The study aimed to establish whether postural awareness contributed to exercise-induced improvements in neck pain intensity, with a secondary analysis examining tai chi and neck exercises.

More than 70 participants with chronic nonspecific neck pain were randomly assigned to a 12-week programme of tai chi or conventional neck exercises, including interoceptive and postural awareness. Pain intensity was measured using the visual analogue scale at the start and after 12 weeks.

The participants reported significant reductions in pain intensity and anxiety in both groups, which appeared to coincide with the increase in postural awareness. The study’s researchers concluded that training in postural awareness might be an important mechanism in exercise-based interventions for chronic neck pain.

For more information about the study click here

Read an article by Jane Johnson on postural correction of the cervical spine (neck) in our online Reading Room

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