McKenzie Method Efficacy for Chronic Neck Pain: Meta-Analysis Results

A systematic review and meta-analysis synthesizes evidence from eight randomized controlled trials involving 389 participants on the McKenzie Method for chronic non-specific neck pain. The study, authored by Héctor García-López and published in 2026, reports standardized mean differences for outcomes like pain, disability, and cervical range of motion. It aggregates data from databases including PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science up to July 2025.

Use Cases

• Compare pain reduction effect sizes (SMD = -0.57) from McKenzie therapy against other interventions or placebo.
• Analyze disability outcome data (SMD = -0.43) and assess detected publication bias using trim-and-fill method results.
• Evaluate cervical range of motion improvements, specifically for extension, flexion, and rotation, where significant effects were reported.
• Examine heterogeneity metrics (I² = 31.5% for pain) and certainty of evidence assessments (GRADE) across the included studies.

Strengths

• Includes quantitative synthesis from 8 randomized controlled trials, a standard for evidence aggregation.
• Reports specific statistical metrics like standardized mean differences with 95% confidence intervals for multiple outcomes.
• Assesses publication bias and performs sensitivity analyses, enhancing methodological transparency.
• Clear licensing (CC-BY-4.0) facilitates reuse and distribution.

Limitations

• Small total sample size of 389 participants across all studies limits statistical power and generalizability.
• Low certainty of evidence (GRADE) and short-term follow-up reported; medium or long-term outcomes are not established.
• Potential geographic or demographic bias inherent in the pool of eight original studies is not characterized.

Provenance

Source

figshare, authored by Héctor García-López.

Collection Method

Systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs sourced from PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, CENTRAL, and PEDro.

Time Range

Literature search up to July 2025; publication date 2026.

Freshness

Last updated April 2026, with literature search current up to July 2025.