Neck Pain
Conditions
Brief summary
This study examined the effects of pain neuroscience education plus exercise when compared with exercise only in university students with chronic idiopathic neck pain.
Detailed description
This study examined the effects of pain neuroscience education plus exercise when compared with exercise only in university students with chronic idiopathic neck pain. University students with chronic neck pain were randomly allocated to receive pain neuroscience education and exercise or exercise only and assessed at baseline, after the intervention and at 3 months follow up. Outcome variables were pain intensity (primary outcome), disability, fear of movement, catastrophizing, knowledge of pain neurophysiology, pressure pain thresholds and neck and scapular muscle endurance.
Interventions
OTHERExercise
Exercises were aimed at increasing the endurance and strength of the deep neck flexor and extensor muscles and of the scapular stabilizer muscles.
OTHERPain neuroscience education
Pain neuroscience education covered the neurophysiology of pain, transition from acute to chronic pain and the nervous system ability to modulate the pain experience.
Sponsors
Aveiro University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Participants could enter the study if they had chronic idiopathic neck pain, defined as pain felt in the neck at least once a week in the previous 3 months and for which no cause had been established. Furthermore, they were required to have a minimum pain intensity in the previous week of 2 in the visual analogue scale.
Exclusion criteria
* Participants were excluded if they had had physiotherapy for their neck pain in the 6 months previous to the study, if they had rheumatic, nervous, cardiac and/or respiratory pathology that could prevent or make it difficult to do the exercises.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Pain intensity | At the beginning | Measured using the visual analogue scale |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Neck extensors endurance | At the beginning | Method of assessment - physical test; the participant is in prone and position, head neutral, and supporting 2 Kg weight hanging from it. Participants were asked to support this weight for as long as possible while maintaining the neutral head positioning. The test result is the time (in seconds) that each participant holds the position. |
| Scapular stabilizers endurance | At the beginning | Method of assessment - physical test; Method of assessment - physical test; Participants were standing with the shoulders and elbows flexed at 90º, while pulling both extremities of a dynamometer to reach 1 Kg of force. The test result is the time (in seconds) that each participants was able to hold this position. |
| Pressure pain thresholds | At the beginning | Method of assessment - psychophysical test; Pressure was applied over the trapezius and at C5-C6 with a algometer until the participant first felt pain. The results was the quantity of force (in Kgf) supported by participants. |
| Deep neck flexor endurance | At the beginning | Method of assessment - physical test; the participant is in supine and he/she is asked to flex the upper cervical spine, move their head away from the couch approximately 2.5 cm and then maintain this position for as long as possible. The test result is the time (in seconds) that each participant holds the position. |
| catastrophizing | at beginning | Method of assessment - Pain catastrophising scale |
| fear of movement | At the beginning | method of assessment - the Tampa Scale |
| Knowledge of pain neurophysiology | at beginning | method of assessment - scale; the neurophysiology of pain questionnaire |
| Disability | At the beginning | Method of assessment - the neck pain disability index |
Outcome results
None listed