Neck Motion and Motor Control in Chronic Neck Pain and Associations With Clinical Symptoms

Neck Motion and Motor Control in Chronic Neck Pain and Associations With Clinical Symptoms

The primary purpose of this study is to investigate if there is altered motor control of head and neck in chronic neck pain patients compared with healthy persons. In addition, associations between neck pain, motor control, disability and function, and clinical symptoms will be studied in patients following physiotherapy treatment in primary health care.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Idiopathic neck pain with duration >2 weeks
• Normal or corrected vision
• Pain at or above 3 on Numeric Rating Scale, with "low pain" defined as 3-4 and "high pain" as 5 or higher.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Systemic or diagnosed chronic disease, including diabetes, stroke and neurological diseases, that may influence motor control and neck pain or ability to perform tests
• positive spurling test for neurological radiating arm pain
• pregnancy
• whiplash
• insufficient comprehension of Norwegian language