The Effectiveness of Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) Exercises Compared to Localized Exercises and Standard Care on Pain Intensity, Neck Dysfunction, and Upper Cervical Range of Motion in Patients With Chronic Neck Pain: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) (DYNEX)

January 31, 2026 updated by: Hochschule Osnabruck

Many people experience long-lasting neck pain, which can affect daily life, work, and overall well-being. This study aims to find out which type of exercise program is most effective in reducing neck pain, improving neck movement, and making daily activities easier.

What Is Being Studied?:

The study compares three different types of treatment:

DNS Exercises (Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization):

Whole-body exercises focusing on posture, breathing, and core stability.

Localized Neck Exercises:

Targeted exercises for the neck and shoulder muscles.

Standard Care:

Usual physiotherapy treatment commonly provided in clinical practice.

Study Procedures:

Participants are randomly assigned to one of the three groups. Each participant receives individual exercise instruction from a physiotherapist.

Participants are also given simple home exercises to perform on their own. The study lasts for about 12 weeks.

What Will Be Measured?:

At the beginning, during, and at the end of the study, the following will be assessed:

Neck pain intensity (pain scale) Neck range of motion How much the pain affects daily life and activities

Possible Benefits:

Participants may experience:

Less neck pain Improved neck mobility Better overall body awareness Even if not every participant notices improvement, taking part will help researchers improve future treatment options for chronic neck pain.

Risks:

No major risks are expected. All exercises are supervised by qualified physiotherapists and adjusted to each participant's abilities.

Participation can be stopped at any time if discomfort or pain occurs.

Voluntary Participation and Data Privacy:

Participation is completely voluntary. All personal data will be kept confidential and analyzed anonymously for research purposes only.

Participants may withdraw from the study at any time without any disadvantages.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

45

Phase

  • Not Applicable

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • between 18 and 50 years of age. This ensures a homogeneous population that in-cludes both young adults and middle-aged individuals.
  • have suffered from neck pain continuously for at least 12 weeks, as described by the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP)
  • have current neck pain greater than 40 on the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) (on a scale of 0 to 100).
  • have an NDI score of over 10 points.

Exclusion Criteria: -

  • Cancer
  • Patients with existing or previous fractures in the cervical spine
  • Patients who have undergone surgery on the cervical spine
  • Patients who, in addition to neck pain, also have or have had dizziness or balance disorders
  • People with osteoporosis
  • Fibromyalgia
  • People with diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis
  • People with red flags identified during a thorough physical examination
  • Patients with neurological deficits identified during a thorough physical examination
  • Participants who have undergone physiotherapy within the last 3 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: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: DNS_Group
Other: Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) Exercises
Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) is a physiotherapy approach based on developmental kinesiology. It uses specific postural and breathing exercises to restore spinal stability, improve motor control, and enhance cervical function under physiotherapist supervision.
Experimental: Local_Exercise
Other: Local Exercises
Localized neck exercises target deep and superficial cervical muscles through specific strengthening, motor control, and stabilization drills. The program includes chin tucks, resisted movements, and scapular stabilization, supervised by a physiotherapist to improve pain, function, and coordination.
Experimental: Usual_Care
Other: Usual Care
Usual care includes standard physiotherapy for chronic neck pain: patient education, manual therapy, heat application, and general stretching or mobility exercises. Treatment follows typical clinical practice and is adjusted to individual needs.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Numeric Ratic Scale
Time Frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 12 weeks
From enrollment to the end of treatment at 12 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Neck Disability Index
Time Frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 12 weeks
From enrollment to the end of treatment at 12 weeks
Flexio Rotation Test
Time Frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 12 weeks
From enrollment to the end of treatment at 12 weeks
Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire
Time Frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 12 weeks
From enrollment to the end of treatment at 12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Hochschule Osnabruck

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 (Estimated)

February 2, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 31, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 31, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

February 9, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 9, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 31, 2026

Last Verified

January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • WiSo_BA_PTB_WiSe25-26_1_1

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.

Clinical Trials on Neck Pain

Clinical Trials on Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) Exercises

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in El Salvador

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe