Effectiveness of a Home-based Cervical Motor Control Exercise Programme Versus Conventional Manual Therapy in Patients With Post-whiplash Neck Pain.

Effectiveness of a Home-based Cervical Motor Control Exercise Programme Versus Conventional Manual Therapy in Patients With Post-whiplash Neck Pain: a Randomised Clinical Trial.

Whiplash-associated disorders are a common cause of persistent neck pain following traffic accidents and are frequently associated with impairments in cervical motor control, pain, and functional disability. Therapeutic exercise aimed at restoring cervical motor control has shown promising results; however, evidence regarding the effectiveness of structured home-based exercise programs compared with conventional physiotherapy remains limited. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of a home-based cervical motor control exercise program versus conventional physiotherapy in patients with whiplash-associated neck pain.

A randomized controlled trial with two parallel groups was conducted. Patients diagnosed with whiplash-associated neck pain were randomly assigned to either an experimental group performing a structured home-based cervical motor control exercise program or a control group receiving conventional physiotherapy based on manual therapy and cervical mobilization techniques. Outcome measures included pain intensity assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale, functional disability measured with the Neck Disability Index, and active cervical range of motion. Assessments were performed at baseline and after an eight-week intervention period.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Cervical Disease
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: home-based cervical motor control exercise programme; Procedure: conventional physiotherapy treatment

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 80
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Spain
  • Salamanca, Spain, 37002
    • Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients who met the following criteria were included:
• Age between 18 and 65 years.
• Clinical diagnosis of post-whiplash neck pain resulting from a traffic accident.
• Symptoms lasting longer than four weeks.
• Presence of neck pain with a minimum intensity of 3 points on the Visual Analogue Scale.
• Ability to understand and follow the instructions of the home exercise programme.
• Signed informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with the following conditions were excluded:
• Signs of severe neurological compromise or significant structural cervical pathology (fractures, cervical instability, myelopathy).
• History of cervical surgery.
• Rheumatic, neurological, or systemic diseases that could influence the results.
• Previous physiotherapy treatment for the same episode in the three months prior to the study.
• Pregnancy or any medical contraindication for therapeutic exercise.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: home-based cervical motor control exercise programme; home-based cervical motor control exercise programme monitored by physiotherapists	Procedure: home-based cervical motor control exercise programme; home-based programme of active cervical motor control exercises supervised by physiotherapists
Active Comparator: conventional physiotherapy treatment; Conventional physiotherapy treatment including passive therapies (manual therapy) in the physiotherapy clinic.	Procedure: conventional physiotherapy treatment; Conventional physiotherapy treatment with passive therapy (manual therapy) carried out in a physiotherapy clinic.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
pain	measured using the visual analogue pain scale (VAS) (where 0 is the least possible pain and 10 is the maximum possible pain)	2 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
range of motion	The range of active cervical movement was assessed using goniometry, recording the movements of flexion, extension, rotation, and lateralisation of the cervical spine.	2 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Randlov A, Ostergaard M, Manniche C, Kryger P, Jordan A, Heegaard S, Holm B. Intensive dynamic training for females with chronic neck/shoulder pain. A randomized controlled trial. Clin Rehabil. 1998 Jun;12(3):200-10. doi: 10.1191/026921598666881319.
• Jordan A, Bendix T, Nielsen H, Hansen FR, Host D, Winkel A. Intensive training, physiotherapy, or manipulation for patients with chronic neck pain. A prospective, single-blinded, randomized clinical trial. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 1998 Feb 1;23(3):311-8; discussion 319. doi: 10.1097/00007632-199802010-00005.
• Bronfort G, Evans R, Nelson B, Aker PD, Goldsmith CH, Vernon H. A randomized clinical trial of exercise and spinal manipulation for patients with chronic neck pain. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2001 Apr 1;26(7):788-97; discussion 798-9. doi: 10.1097/00007632-200104010-00020.
• Kjellman GV, Skargren EI, Oberg BE. A critical analysis of randomised clinical trials on neck pain and treatment efficacy. A review of the literature. Scand J Rehabil Med. 1999 Sep;31(3):139-52. doi: 10.1080/003655099444489.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 10, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 10, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): September 10, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 23, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 23, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): January 8, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): January 8, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 23, 2025
• Last Verified: December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: pain; exercise; Whiplash
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Urogenital Diseases; Genital Diseases; Neurologic Manifestations; Wounds and Injuries; Female Urogenital Diseases; Female Urogenital Diseases and Pregnancy Complications; Uterine Diseases; Genital Diseases, Female; Neck Injuries; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Behavior; Signs and Symptoms; Pain; Uterine Cervical Diseases; Whiplash Injuries; Motor Activity
• Other Study ID Numbers: 00043

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No