The impact of exercise intended for fitness or sport on the prevalence of non-specific neck pain in adults: A systematic review

Objective: This study systematically reviewed the literature investigating the relationship between participation in exercise intended to improve fitness or sport and the prevalence of non-specific neck pain in adults. A secondary objective evaluated if exercise characteristics (frequency, and total duration of weekly exercise) impacted any observed relationship between this form of exercise and neck pain prevalence. Design: Narrative systematic review. Literature Search: Six databases including Pubmed/Medline, Scopus, EMBASE, SPORTDiscus, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library were searched from their inception up to April 2021. Study Selection Criteria: Studies were deemed eligible if they investigated the relationship between exercise participation and prevalence of non-specific neck pain. Only full-text, cross-sectional and longitudinal studies in an adult population were included. Data Synthesis: Due to heterogeneity of characteristics in the included studies, a meta-analysis was not deemed feasible. Data were synthesised using narrative synthesis with subgroup analysis of exercise themes including frequency, and total weekly duration. Results: Fair to good quality evidence from eight studies indicated that regular participation in exercise intended for fitness or sport was associated with a reduced prevalence of neck pain in adults. Three cross-sectional studies reported a positive relationship between greater weekly exercise duration and reduced neck pain prevalence. Conclusion: The results of this review provide preliminary evidence of a potential protective effect of participation in exercise intended for fitness or sport on the prevalence of non-specific neck pain in the community. This protective relationship appeared to be stronger when exercise was undertaken for a greater total weekly duration.