Effect of Proprioceptive Training on Cervical Sensorimotor Control and Functional Recovery in Patients With Cervical Radiculopathy (Proprioceptive)

November 7, 2026 updated by: Alaa Aly, Cairo University

Study purpose

The goal of this study is to investigate whether adding cervical proprioceptive training to conventional physiotherapy improves cervical sensorimotor control and functional recovery in patients with chronic cervical radiculopathy.

The study will include 58 participants, aged 35-50 years, with unilateral chronic cervical radiculopathy associated with lower cervical discogenic or spondylotic changes (C5-C6 and/or C6-C7), with symptoms lasting more than three months.

Main research questions

  1. Does cervical proprioceptive training, in addition to conventional physiotherapy, improve cervical joint position sense (measured by cervical joint position error) compared with conventional physiotherapy alone?
  2. Does adding cervical proprioceptive training lead to greater improvements in functional disability, pain intensity, functional ability, and cervical range of motion compared with conventional physiotherapy alone?

Comparison groups

Researchers will randomly allocate participants into two groups:

  • Experimental group: Participants will receive conventional physiotherapy combined with a structured cervical proprioceptive training programme.
  • Control group: Participants will receive conventional physiotherapy alone.

The researchers will compare the two groups to determine whether adding cervical proprioceptive training produces greater improvements in cervical sensorimotor control and functional outcomes.

What participation involves

Participants will be asked to:

  • Complete baseline assessments, including the Neck Disability Index (NDI), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), cervical joint position error (JPE), cervical range of motion (CROM), and Patient-Specific Functional Scale (PSFS).
  • Attend their assigned physiotherapy programme three times per week for six weeks, with treatment sessions lasting approximately 60 minutes.
  • Follow the treatment programme assigned to their group.
  • Complete the same outcome assessments after the six-week intervention period to evaluate changes and compare the results between groups.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This study is a two-arm, parallel-group randomized clinical trial designed to investigate the effects of a structured cervical proprioceptive training program in individuals with chronic cervical radiculopathy.

Following baseline assessment, participants will be randomly allocated to either an experimental group receiving cervical proprioceptive training or a control group receiving conventional physiotherapy. The intervention period will last six weeks. Treatment sessions will be conducted three times per week, with each session lasting approximately 60 minutes.

The experimental group will receive a supervised cervical proprioceptive training program intended to address impaired cervical sensorimotor control. Training will focus on cervical joint-position awareness, accurate repositioning of the head, and controlled cervical movement. Exercises will be introduced at an appropriate level of difficulty and progressed according to the participant's performance, movement accuracy, tolerance, and ability to complete the tasks with adequate control. Training will be conducted under physiotherapist supervision.

The control group will receive a conventional physiotherapy program over the same six-week treatment period. Treatment will follow the conventional physiotherapy procedures specified in the study protocol and will be delivered according to the standardized intervention plan.

Participants will undergo the planned study assessments before and after the intervention period. The treatment period, session duration, and intervention procedures will be applied consistently according to the study protocol. Attendance and intervention implementation will be monitored throughout the study.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
58

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Egypt
    • Giza Governorate
      • Giza, Giza Governorate, Egypt
        • Faculty of physical therapy

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

35 years to 50 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients of both sexes, diagnosed as having unilateral cervical radiculopathy secondary to discogenic and spondylotic changes at the lower cervical spine (C5-C6 and C6-C7).
  • Duration of illness more than "three" months.
  • Aged between 35-50 years old.
  • Body mass index (BMI) of less than 30 kg/m².
  • 4-7/10 score according to VAS (Appendix I).
  • Neck Disability Index (NDI) score ≥10/50.
  • PSFS scoring of ≥ 5/10

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Cervical myelopathy or cervical myelo-radiculopathy.
  • Thoracic outlet syndrome.
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome.
  • Structural spinal instability such as spondylolisthesis.
  • Vertebro-basilar artery insufficiency.
  • Previous cervicothoracic spine surgery.
  • Serious spinal pathology (e.g., tumors or infection).
  • Vestibular or severe visual disorders.
  • Associated other neurological diseases.
  • Recent cervical physiotherapy within the last 2 months

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: Control group

Effect of conventional therapy on control group
Procedure: Conventional therapy

Stretching of neck muscles and manual therapy and strengthening exercises
Experimental: Study group

Effect of proprioceptive training on stufy group
Procedure: Conventional therapy

Stretching of neck muscles and manual therapy and strengthening exercises

Device: Proprioceptive training

Proprioceptive training using head mounted laser and target grids and tracking grids

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Joint position error
Time Frame: 6 weeks

Deviation from normal joint position is calculated
6 weeks
Patient specific functional scale
Time Frame: 6 weeks

Measures function of cervical radiculopathy patient
6 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Cairo University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
February 20, 2026

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
October 15, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
October 25, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 7, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 7, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 13, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
November 13, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 7, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
November 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • P.T.REC/012/006393

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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