The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of encouraging exercise to treat work-related neck-shoulder pain by mobile phone messages after training individuals to use the holdrelax technique.

Subjects were randomly allocated into an exercise (n=20) and a control (n=21) groups. The exercise group was taught stretching exercise methods known as the hold-relax technique for the upper trapezius, levator scapula, scalenus, and suboccipitals. They then received mobile phone messages encouraging them to do the exercises twice a week for eight weeks. The visual analog scale (VAS) of neck and shoulder pain, the pressure pain threshold (PPT) for the four muscles, and the cervical ROM were measured at baseline and at the end of the study.

The VAS decreased significantly in the exercise group from 3.35 to 1.65 (p<0.001) for the neck, and from 4.55 to 2.05 for the shoulder (p<0.001). In addition, the PPT of the four muscles increased (p<0.001) in the exercise group. However, no significant changes in the VAS and the PPT of the control group were observed. Furthermore, the ROM did not differ significantly between the exercise and control groups after intervention.

Teaching patients to use the hold-relax technique and encouraging exercise using mobile phone messages can reduce work-related neck-shoulder pain.