Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze the immediate effects of median nerve mobilization integrated into TECAR therapy on pain and range of motion as a clinical intervention for patients with acute neck radiating pain due to cervical radiculopathy.
Methods: The subjects of this study were 36 patients with acute radiating pain due to cervical radiculopathy and subjects were randomly assigned to three groups. In experimental group 1, the median nerve mobilization integrated into TECAR therapy, the experimental group 2 was the median nerve mobilization integrated into transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, and the control group, the median nerve mobilization only. The intervention was performed once, and the subject''s Visual analogue scale (VAS), range of motion (ROM), pressure pain threshold (PPT), and grip strength (GS) were measured before and after the treatment. A paired t-test was performed for the comparison before and after the intervention within the group, and a one-way ANOVA was performed for the comparison between groups.
Results: In the subject''s VAS, there was a significant decrease before and after the intervention within the group. In the ROM there was a significant increase before and after the intervention in the group, and there was a significant increase in experimental group 1 compared to experimental group 2 and the control group. In the PPT there was a significant difference only in experimental group 1 before and after the intervention within the group. In the GS there was a significant increase in experimental group 1 before and after the intervention within the group.
Conclusion: In conclusion, in patients with acute radiating pain due to cervical radiculopathy, the application of median nerve mobilization integrated into TECAR therapy affects VAS, ROM, PPT and GS. The application of median nerve mobilization integrated into TECAR therapy can be suggested as an effective intervention method to increase the ROM, PPT and GS.