RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Patients with chronic neck pain show also respiratory dysfunctions. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of respiratory muscle endurance training (RMET) on chronic neck pain. METHODS: In this pilot study (single-subject design: 3 baseline measurements, 4 measurements during RMET), 15 neck patients (49.3 ± 13.7 years; 13 females) conducted 20 sessions of home-based RMET using a SpiroTiger® (normocapnic hyperpnoea). Maximal voluntary ventilation (MVV), maximal inspiratory (Pimax) and expiratory (Pemax) pressure were measured before and after RMET. Neck flexor endurance, cervical and thoracic mobility, forward head posture, chest wall expansion and self-assessed neck disability [Neck Disability Index (NDI), Bournemouth questionnaire] were weekly assessed. Repeated measure ANOVA (Bonferroni correction) compared the first and last baseline and the last measurement after RMET. RESULTS: RMET significantly increased MVV (p= 0.025), Pimax (p= 0.001) and Pemax (p< 0.001). During RMET, neck disability significantly decreased (NDI: p= 0.001; Bournemouth questionnaire: p= 0.002), while neck flexor endurance (p< 0.001) and chest wall expansion (p< 0.001) increased. The changes in respiratory and musculoskeletal parameters did not correlate. CONCLUSIONS: RMET emerged from this pilot study as a feasible and effective therapy for reducing disability in patients with chronic neck pain. The underlying mechanisms, including blood gas analyses, need further investigation in a randomized controlled study.