Neck pain is common, especially among women, and around 67% of adults will have neck pain sometime during their life.1 2 Neck pain is particularly prevalent in certain occupations, such as office work.3 The cost of treating neck pain in the Netherlands in 1996 was around $868m (£620m; €540m).4
The underlying pathology of neck disorders remains unclear, so treatments are aimed at pain relief. Dynamic muscle training and relaxation training are often prescribed for chronic neck pain despite a lack of evidence on their effectiveness.5–12We aimed to assess the effects and costs of dynamic muscle trainingand relaxation training for chronic neck pain in female office workers.