Impact of Movement Control Training Using a Laser Device on the Neck Pain and Movement of Patients with Cervicogenic Headache: A Pilot Study

This study verified the effect of movement control training using a laser device on the neck pain and movement of patients with cervicogenic headache. A total of twenty outpatients recruited from two Busan hospitals were equally divided into two groups. The experimental group underwent movement control training with visual biofeedback, while the control group performed self-stretching. Both groups received therapeutic massage and upper cervical spine mobilization. A four-week intervention program was also conducted. Measurement tools including the cervical flexion-rotation test, visual analog scale, Headache Impact Test-6, pressure pain threshold, range of motion, sensory discrimination, and Neck Disability Index helped assess the participating patients before and after the intervention. Additionally, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and the Mann-Whitney U test helped determine inter and intra-group variations, respectively, before and after the intervention. Most of the measurement regions revealed significant changes post-intervention within the experimental group, while only the cervical flexion-rotation test, visual analog scale, Headache Impact Test-6, and Neck Disability Index indicated significant changes post-intervention within the control group. There were also considerable inter-group differences. Thus, movement control training using a laser device more effectively improves neck pain and movement of patients with cervicogenic headache.