Purpose The cervical flexion relaxation phenomenon (FRP) is a neck extensor myoelectric ''silence'' that occurs during complete cervical and lumbar flexion. In contrast to low back pain, the changes that occur during FRP in chronic neck pain (CNP) patients are still not clear. The aim of this study was to assess the characteristics of this phenomenon in the cervical region in CNP patients and controls. Methods Twenty-two women (23 ± 2.62 years) with chronic non-specific neck pain and 21 healthy women (23.4 ± 1.68 years) participated in this study. They accomplished a cervical flexion and extension from neutral position. Neck angle and surface electromyographic activity of cervical erector spinae (CES) and upper trapezius muscles were recorded. Appearance, onset and offset angle of the FRP were analysed and compared between the two groups. Results There were significant differences in the appearance of FRP between the two groups (P B 0.001). The FRP in the CES muscles was observed in 85.7 % of healthy subjects and in 36.3 % of CNP patients, and no FRP was observed in the upper trapezius. Results of this study show that the onset and offset of FRP parameters were significantly different between the two groups (P B 0.001).Conclusions The results of the present study indicate that FRP in CNP patients was seen less than the healthy subjects, and moreover the FRP period was reduced in CNP patients. Our results also suggest that the changes in FRP of CNP patients may be due to the increased CES activity in these patients.

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Background and Objectives: More than 50% of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients suffer from urinary disorders. Exercise therapy is one of the first lines of treatment for urinary disorders in people with MS. This study evaluated the effectiveness of pelvic floor muscle exercise at home on quality of life (QoL) and fatigue in MS women with urinary disorders. Methods: A randomized, double-blinded, controlled trial was conducted. Thirty women with relapsing and remitting urinary incontinence participated for eight weeks (daily) in this study. The participants were randomly divided into intervention (n=15) and control groups (n=15). The participants of the intervention group received common medicines and specific exercises for the pelvic floor. The control group used only conventional drugs during the study. Results: The results showed significant differences in all variables related to fatigue and QoL in the intervention group (P<0.05). But no significant difference was found in any of the variables related to fatigue and QoL in the control group (P>0.05). However, in the intervention group, significant differences were found in the total score of the QoL and the three subgroups (bothered, worry, and restricted) (P<0.05). In addition, the results showed a significant difference in the cognitive, physical, and psycho-social subgroups in the fatigue questionnaire (P<0.05). The fatigue scores and QoL in the intervention group compared to the control group showed a significant difference (P<0.05). Conclusion: It seems that pelvic floor exercises at home reduce fatigue and improve QoL in women with MS with urinary incontinence. Although the total score of fatigue between the two groups was not significant, the results in the intervention group showed significant results and it seems that by controlling the intervening factors, a significant difference can be observed in the total score of fatigue between the two groups. Therefore, we demonstrated that pelvic floor muscle exercises in women suffering from urinary incontinence improve urinary incontinence and reduce fatigue, and improve the QoL.