Effects of Education and Exercise on Pain, Psychosocial Factors, and Upper Limb Function in Non-specific Neck Pain.

Recruiting now · Not applicable · Has a placebo group

Conditions studied: Neck Pain, Patient Education, Exercise Therapy, Fear, Pain

In brief

Pain neuroscience education is currently one of the techniques being explored in physiotherapy for pain management. The benefits of this technique are gradually becoming evident in various published studies. So far, it has been widely studied for its short-term effects, but the education provided has typically been generic, not focused on exercise. However, it is suggested that this technique should be combined with exercise to achieve the expected outcomes. Therefore, pain education should be tailored to the specific physical activities the subject will perform to maximise its effectiveness. The primary aim of this study is to analyse the outcome of combining exercise with tailored pain neuroscience education on aspects such as pain, kinesiophobia, catastrophizing, exercise conceptualization, and upper limb function in subjects with neck pain. The secondary aim is to evaluate the relationship between kinesiophobia and catastrophizing and their impact on the results of various upper limb performance tests. Finally, the effects of therapeutic exercise alone will be compared with those of therapeutic exercise combined with pain neuroscience education, focusing on pain, kinesiophobia, catastrophizing, and exercise conceptualization. A double-blind, randomised clinical trial has been designed, in which three intervention protocols will be applied to 81 subjects with non-specific neck pain: education with exercise, exercise alone, and placebo alone. Subjects with non-specific neck pain who meet the inclusion criteria will be enrolled. Demographic characteristics of the subjects, as well as pain, kinesiophobia, catastrophizing, and upper limb performance test scores, will be assessed. This study aims to explore the potential relevance of a pain neuroscience education session prior to therapeutic exercise, as well as to influence the clinical recommendations made by clinicians during treatment.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT06889389

Run by

Universidad Miguel Hernandez de Elche

People needed

81

Starts

2025-03-28

Expected to finish

2027-12-30

Last updated by the study team

2026-07-23

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 65. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Subjects aged between 18 and 65 years
• Subjects with non-specific neck pain at the time of the intervention, scoring at least 3 on the NPRS scale.

You may not qualify if…

• Pregnancy
• Severe illnesses: diabetes, cancer, neurological conditions, depression, etc.
• Subjects impairments or disorders
• Subjects who have received physiotherapy treatment within the last month
• Subjects currently undergoing concurrent physiotherapy treatment for this condition
• Subjects with specific neck pain, such as any traumatic pathology, whiplash, or diagnoses associated with neurological compromise or peripheral nerve damage
• Physiotherapy students or professional physiotherapists

Where it is running

• Clínica de Franscisco Ortega Rehabilitación Avanzada S.L. — Elche, Alicante, Spain (enrolling)

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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