Chronic Non-Specific Neck Pain
Conditions
Keywords
Neck Pain, cervical stabilization exercises, scapular clock exercises, range of motion
Brief summary
This randomized clinical trial will compare cervical stabilization exercises with scapular clock exercises in 30 adults with chronic non-specific neck pain. Participants will be allocated to Group A (cervical stabilization exercises) or Group B (scapular clock exercises), with 15 participants in each group. Both groups will receive three supervised sessions per week for six weeks (18 sessions; approximately 30-40 minutes per session), along with a 10-minute cervical hot pack, pain-free active cervical range-of-motion exercises, postural education, and home-exercise instructions. Pain intensity will be assessed using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), cervical range of motion using a inclinometer, and neck-related disability using the Neck Disability Index (NDI), before treatment and at the end of six weeks. The study aims to compare changes in pain, cervical mobility, and disability between the two exercise approaches
Interventions
Participants will perform cranio-cervical flexion, chin-tuck, deep cervical flexor activation, and cervical isometric exercises. Exercises will progress over six weeks, with quadruped cervical stabilization and controlled upper-limb movements introduced during weeks 5-6
Participants will practice scapular elevation (12 o'clock), protraction (3 o'clock), depression (6 o'clock), and retraction (9 o'clock), progressing to wall-based, multidirectional, and diagonal clock patterns. Both groups will receive three sessions weekly for six weeks, each approximately 30-40 minutes, plus the same conventional care and postural education described above
Sponsors
University of Management and Technology Lahore
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
22 Years to 35 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Adults aged 22-35 years. Male and female participants. Chronic non-specific neck pain lasting more than 12 weeks. Ability to understand and follow exercise instructions. Neck Disability Index (NDI) score indicating mild to moderate disability. NPRS score of 3-6
Exclusion criteria
History of cervical fracture, tumor, infection, or cervical spine surgery. Cervical radiculopathy or myelopathy. Neurological disorders affecting the neck or upper limbs. Recent trauma to the cervical spine. Rheumatologic or systemic inflammatory diseases.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| NECK DISABILITY INDEX (NDI) | baseline and after 6 weeks | The Neck Disability Index (NDI) will be used to assess functional disability related to neck pain. It consists of 10 items; each scored from 0 to 5. The total score ranges from 0 to 50,with higher scores indicating greater disability. The NDI is a valid and reliable self-reported questionnaire and is one of the most widely used instruments for measuring neck-related disability in individuals with chronic non-specific neck pain. |
| . Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) | baseline and after 6 weeks | An 11-point scale used to rate pain intensity (3). A score of 0 means no pain. Scores of 1 to 3 are mild pain (nagging, annoying, and interferes little with ADLs). Scores of 4 to 6 are moderate pain (interferes significantly with ADLs). Scores of 7 to 10 are severe pain (disabling, unable to perform ADLs). Patients rate their current shoulder pain at baseline and after six weeks. |
| Goniometric range of motion | baseline and after 6 weeks | The smartphone inclinometer is a mobile version of a medical device called an inclinometer that can be used to measure joint range of motion (ROM) accurately and objectively. It uses the smartphone's sensors to determine angle of displacement and outputs the reading in degrees. Smartphones are valid, reliable, cost-effective tools to measure neck ROM in real-world clinical and research settings |
Countries
Pakistan
Outcome results
None listed