Effects of resistance exercise therapy on pain and function in patients with cervical spondylotic radiculopathy:a meta-analysis
- VernacularTitle:抗阻运动对神经根型颈椎病患者疼痛和功能影响的荟萃分析
- Author:
Hanyue LI
1
;
Yini LI
;
Linmei XIANG
;
Sen LI
Author Information
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords: resistance exercise; cervical radiculopathy; meta-analysis; exercise therapy; pain; cervical spine function; muscle strength; randomized controlled trial
- From: Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2026;30(4):987-996
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
- Abstract: OBJECTIVE:In recent years,resistance exercise therapy as a means of rehabilitation has attracted much attention,but its therapeutic effect on cervical radiculopathy is still controversial.This study evaluated the clinical efficacy of resistance exercise in the treatment of cervical radiculopathy through a systematic meta-analysis.METHODS:A comprehensive search was conducted in CNKI,VIP,WanFang,Chinese Biomedical Literature Database,PubMed,Web of Science,Cochrane Library and Embase for clinical randomized controlled trials related to resistance exercise in the treatment of cervical radiculopathy.The search time was from the establishment of each database to November 30,2024.The resistance training group(experimental group)used resistance exercise or resistance exercise as the main intervention method.The control group received other rehabilitation therapy except resistance exercise.Outcome measures included total effective rate,visual analog scale score,Neck Disability Index,Tanaka Symptom Scale for Cervical Spondylosis,cervical joint motion,and recurrence rate.Cochrane bias risk assessment tool and physical therapy evidence database scale were used to determine the quality of the included references.Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4 software and Stata 17.0.RESULTS:(1)Finally,9 RCTs were included,including a sample size of 673 cases.GRADE evidence quality evaluation showed that the total effective rate was medium level of evidence,while visual analog scale score,Neck Disability Index,Tanaka Symptom Scale for Cervical Spondylosis score,joint motion,and recurrence rate were low level of evidence.(2)The results of meta-analysis showed that the total effective rate in the experimental group was higher than that in the control group(RR=1.22,95％confidence interval[CI]=1.06-1.41,P=0.005).(3)The visual analog scale score in the experimental group was better than that in the control group(mean difference[MD]=-0.72,95％CI=-0.98 to-0.46,P＜0.000 01).The Neck Disability Index in the experimental group was better than that in the control group(MD=-2.57,95％CI=-4.13 to-1.02,P=0.001).The Tanaka Symptom Scale for Cervical Spondylosis score in the experimental group was better than that in the control group(MD=3.83,95％Cl=3.55-4.10,P＜0.000 01).Cervical joint motion:the anterior flexion joint motion of the experimental group was better than that of the control group(MD=2.86,95％CI=2.30-3.43,P＜0.000 01);the posterior extension joint motion of the experimental group was better than that of the control group(MD=5.23,95％CI=3.81-6.64,P＜0.000 01).The range of motion of the left rotator joint in the experimental group was better than that in the control group(MD=7.15,95％CI=5.43-8.87,P＜0.000 01);the range of motion of the right rotator joint in the experimental group was better than that in the control group(MD=5.45,95％CI=3.59-7.31,P＜0.000 01).The range of motion of the left flexion joint in the experimental group was better than that in the control group(MD=3.35,95％CI=1.98-4.72,P＜0.000 01);the range of motion of the right flexion joint in the experimental group was better than that in the control group(MD=3.91,95％CI=2.65-5.17,P＜0.000 01).The recurrence rate in the experimental group was lower than that in the control group(RR=0.22,95％CI=0.06-0.80,P=0.02).CONCLUSION:Resistance exercise can effectively improve the pain of patients with cervical radiculopathy,promote the recovery of cervical vertebra function and reduce the recurrence rate.However,the evidence level of the methodological quality and outcome indicators of the included studies is low,and more high-quality and large-sample randomized controlled trials are needed for further research and confirmation in the future.
