Case studies in cervicothoracic spine function evaluation and treatment of two dancers with mechanical neck pain

It has been reported that manual therapy directed at the thoracic spine followed by exercise may improve outcomes in patients with mechanical neck pain. At this point, there is little available data on dancers with neck pain, and it is unclear whether this type of treatment is appropriate for restoring the rigorous level of activity required of the dancer. The purpose of this study was to review the evaluation, clinical decision-making process, and treatment of two dancers-one with acute and the other with chronic neck pain-who fell into the classification of patients who might benefit from an intervention to the thoracic spine. The two participants were a musical theater dancer with an acute onset of neck pain and a retired dancer who was an active dance company director with an 11-year history of chronic neck pain. Both participants went through a standard examination and were treated with mobilizations to the upper thoracic spine followed by therapeutic exercises. In both cases, successful outcomes were achieved immediately after treatment and up to six months after discharge from physical therapy.