[Physical therapy of subjective symptoms of the cervical syndrome]

Cervical syndrome is represented by a group of symptoms and signs mainly localized in the neck region, but also can be present in other regions such as head, humeroscapular, precordium, scapular and interscapular, upper limbs and sometimes lower limbs. Despite the fact that cervical syndrome is primarily a painful syndrome, clinical manifestations show variety of painless symptoms caused by functional disorders of somatic nerves, vegetative nerves, circulation or psychoneurotic disorders.

Conservative management includes medicamentous therapy or physical procedures and application of neck collar, neck traction and ergonomic education. Surgical treatment is reserved for cases with massive neurological deficiency and cases with persistent pain which does not respond to conservative therapy. Final effects of physical, medicamentous and surgical therapy in treating cervical syndrome are identical after a long-term monitoring of patients. However, immediate results of therapy favor physical procedures rather than medicamentous therapy which is important regarding the quality of life of these patients. Application of various physical procedures in the therapy of cervical syndrome includes application of low frequency current electrotherapy followed by ultrasound and thermotherapy representing a significant part of physical therapy. Therapy with low frequency pulsating electromagnetic field and laser photobiostimulation have also been proved successful. These procedures eliminate circulatory and neurological disturbances that cause the appearance of signs in cervical syndrome.

The most common painful symptoms can be successfully treated with various physical procedures. Laser photobiostimulation and application of pulsating electro-magnetic field are very effective in treatment of vascular and neurological cervical syndrome symptoms, but for the treatment of psychoneurotic symptoms classical physical procedures such as diadinamic currents and ultrasound are more effective.