Rehabilitation protocol
Exercise | Instruction(s) |
Supine lying chin tucks | The patient’s head was supported on the couch. The patient is asked to pull the chin towards the sternum or neck area without holding his breath. The position was maintained for five seconds. |
Middle-trapezius hold relax | The patient’s head is held inside flexion (mid-range) supported on a pillow and the patient is asked to apply pressure on the therapist’s hand which is placed on the side of the patient’s head and held for 10 s and then relax it. |
Rotations end range (pain-free) | The patient’s head is supported on the pillow and rotation of the neck is done to the maximum available range of the neck which is painless. Holding the range for 10 s on each side. |
Extension hold | The patient’s head is supported on the couch and the patient was asked to apply pressure on the pillow and hold the contraction for 5 s and repeat it for 5 times. |
Prone extensions | The patient was made to lay face down, hands parallel to trunk, the patient lifted the chest and shoulder to the level of full available extension of the spine and maintained the position for 10 s. |
Planks on hands with head neutral | Patient’s feet hip-width apart, hands shoulder-width apart, and directly under shoulders. Form a straight line from shoulders to heels by lifting your body and maintaining the position for 10 s. |
Prone lying alternate leg and arm lift | Patient’s head in neutral in a face-down position, alternate lifting of arm and opposite leg together holding the position for 10 s. |
Prone lying scapular retractions T/Y | Patient’s head kept neutral in face-down position, both shoulders in abducted to 90 degrees ‘T’ and doing retractions 10 repeats and with head kept neutral in face-down position, both shoulders in flexed to 120 degrees in thumbs-up position ‘Y’ and doing retractions 10 repeats. |
ROM exercises | All ROM exercises for the neck and shoulder are to be performed in the seated position. |
Each exercise was performed as 3 sets × 10 repetitions and gradually the sets and repetitions were increased