A study to compare the effects of Muscle Energy Technique and Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization on pain, functional disability and forward head posture mong subjects with mechaniocal neck pain

Mechanical neck pain, forward head posture, and functional limitations have been increasingly reported among individuals following recovery from COVID-19, particularly due to prolonged screen use, reduced physical activity, respiratory dysfunction, and altered postural control associated with post-COVID condition. Neuromuscular deconditioning and impaired trunk–cervical stabilization observed in post-COVID individuals may exacerbate neck pain and postural abnormalities. Therefore, this dataset is relevant to post-COVID rehabilitation research as it provides comparative evidence on interventions—especially Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization—that emphasize core activation, breathing patterns, and postural control, which are commonly affected in post-COVID syndrome. The findings may help inform physiotherapy strategies aimed at managing neck pain and postural dysfunction in post-COVID populations.
This dataset was generated from an experimental comparative study conducted to evaluate the effects of Muscle Energy Technique (MET) and Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) exercises on pain, functional disability, and forward head posture in individuals with mechanical neck pain. The dataset includes data from participants aged 18–45 years who were clinically diagnosed with mechanical neck pain and randomly allocated into two intervention groups: MET group and DNS exercise group. Outcome measures were recorded at baseline and after the intervention period. Pain intensity was assessed using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), functional disability was measured using the Neck Disability Index (NDI), and forward head posture was quantified using craniovertebral angle measurements obtained through photogrammetric analysis. The dataset contains anonymized demographic variables (age, sex), group allocation, pre- and post-intervention scores for all outcome measures, and intervention duration. Data are provided in spreadsheet format (.xlsx/.csv) to facilitate reuse, secondary analysis, and comparison across musculoskeletal rehabilitation studies. Ethical approval was obtained prior to data collection, and informed consent was secured from all participants.