Acute Effects of Motor Imagery and Motor Control Exercises in Individuals With Chronic Neck Pain

Comparison of the Acute Effects of Motor Imagery and Motor Control Exercises in Individuals With Chronic Neck Pain

The aim of this study is to compare the effects of single-session motor imagery and motor control exercises on pain, pressure pain threshold, cervical proprioception, and motor imagery in individuals with chronic neck pain.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Chronic Neck Pain
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Motor Imagery Exercise; Other: Motor Control Exercise

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 40
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Hasan Gerçek, PhD; Phone Number: 05426488455; Email: hasangercek42@gmail.com
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Hasan Gerçek, PhD; Phone Number: +905426488455; Email: hasangercek42@gmail.com

Study Locations

• Turkey (Türkiye)
  • Karatay
    • Konya, Karatay, Turkey (Türkiye)
      • Recruiting
      • KTO Karatay University
      • Contact: Hasan Gerçek; Phone Number: 05426488455; Email: hasangercek42@gmail.com

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Neck pain lasting at least 12 weeks,
• VAS score of at least 3 cm,
• Standardized Mini Mental Test score of at least 24.

Exclusion Criteria:

• History of cervical surgery,
• neurological deficit,
• malignancy,
• rheumatic diseases,
• having received physical therapy for the neck region within the last 3 months

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: Motor Imagery; A single session of motor imagery exercise will be performed according to the PETTLEP model.	Other: Motor Imagery Exercise; A single session of motor imagery exercise will be performed according to the PETTLEP model.
Experimental: Motor Control; A single session of motor control exercise will be performed	Other: Motor Control Exercise; A single session of motor control exercise will be performed a

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pressure Pain Threshold	Pressure Pain Threshold will be assessed using a digital pressure algometer. The algometer probe (1 cm²) will be applied perpendicularly to the skin surface over predetermined anatomical points. Pressure will be increased at a constant rate of approximately 1 kg/cm² per second. Participants will be instructed to indicate the moment when the sensation of pressure first becomes painful. The value at this point will be recorded as the PPT (kg/cm²).	Baseline and immediately post-intervention
Cervical proprioception	Cervical proprioception will be evaluated using the CROM Device. The assessment will be performed by measuring joint position sense (JPS) error. Participants will be seated in an upright position with feet flat on the floor. The CROM device will be securely positioned on the participant's head according to the manufacturer's guidelines. A target position (e.g., 30° cervical rotation or flexion) will be demonstrated by the examiner. Participants will be asked to actively move their head to the target position, hold it for 3 seconds, return to the neutral position, and then attempt to reposition their head to the same target position with eyes closed.	Baseline and immediately post-intervention
Pain Severity	The rest, activity and night pains of the participants will be evaluated with a 10 cm Visual Analog Scale before the treatment and at the end of the application. "0" means no pain, "10" means excruciating pain. Results will be recorded in cm.	Baseline and immediately post-intervention
Motor Imagery	Motor imagery ability will be assessed using the Movement Imagery Questionnaire 3 (MIQ-3). The questionnaire consists of items assessing visual imagery (clarity of the image) and kinesthetic imagery (intensity of the sensation). Each item is scored on a 7-point scale (1 = very hard to imagine, 7 = very easy to imagine). Subscale scores (visual and kinesthetic) and a total score will be calculated. Higher scores indicate better motor imagery ability.	Baseline and immediately post-intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: KTO Karatay University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 10, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 13, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 14, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 10, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 17, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): March 23, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 8, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 2, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: KaratayUH17

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