Effect of Brahma Mudra on Pain and Functional Disabilities for Nonspecific Neck Pain in Undergraduate Students – A Randomized Controlled Trial

Context: Nonspecific neck pain (NSNP) affects 33% of college students in India. While some studies have looked at the combined impact of Brahma Mudra (BM) and physiotherapy on software professionals, there is a lack of research on the effects of BM on pain and functional disabilities in undergraduate students. Aims: The aim of this study was to study the effect of BM on pain and functional disabilities for NSNP in undergraduate students. Settings and Design: The study design was a pretest and posttest control group design conducted in an undergraduate college setting. Subjects and Methods: A total of 44 participants were randomly assigned to two groups, Group A and Group B, using the chit method. Baseline assessments were conducted prior to the intervention using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) and the Neck Pain and Disability Scale. Group A received BM in combination with conventional therapy, whereas Group B received only conventional treatment in a duration of 5 weeks. Statistical Analysis Used: Data were collected, graphs were plotted, and statistical analysis was performed using GraphPad InStat software. Paired and unpaired t -tests were used to analyze within-group and between-group differences, respectively. Results: The results showed significant changes in NPRS for both Groups A and B, with P = 0.0001 in each case. The results indicated significant improvement in functional disabilities for Group A compared to Group B. The statistical analysis confirmed that the experimental group exercises were more effective than the control group exercises. Conclusions: The study concluded that the combination of BM and conventional physical therapy was more effective than conventional therapy alone in undergraduate students over a 5-week period.