Comparison of Chiropractic and Physiotherapy in Chronic Neck Pain

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Physiotherapy: A 20-minute TENS session and a 20-minute hot pack application will be applied twice a week for 7 weeks

PT+ Chiropractic treatment: The group will receive a 20-minute TENS session and a 20-minute hot pack application and neck massage. This will be followed by chiropractic treatment.

Study summary

Chronic neck pain will be a common condition that can negatively affect daily activities, mobility, and overall quality of life. This study will aim to investigate whether adding chiropractic treatment to standard physiotherapy will improve outcomes in individuals with long-standing neck pain.

A total of 40 adults between the ages of 20 and 65 with complaints of neck pain will be included in the study. Participants will be randomly assigned to two groups. One group will receive chiropractic treatment in addition to standard physiotherapy, while the other group will receive only standard physiotherapy. Standard physiotherapy will include TENS, heat therapy, and neck massage.

The treatments will be administered over a total of 7 sessions, twice a week. Before and after the treatment period, all participants will undergo a series of assessments. These will measure pain levels, neck function, muscle strength, range of motion, and quality of life.

The aim of this study will be to determine whether adding chiropractic treatment to physiotherapy will provide additional benefits in reducing pain and improving function and quality of life in individuals with chronic neck pain.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Pain Assessment — From enrollment and at the end of treatment (at 4 weeks)
  The Pain Visual Analog Scale (VAS) is a unidimensional measure of pain intensity. It typically consists of a 10-centimeter horizontal line anchored by two descriptors: "no pain" (0) and "worst imaginable pain" (10). Participants are asked to mark a point on the line that best represents their current level of pain. The distance from the "no pain" anchor to the marked point is measured in centimeters or millimeters and recorded as the pain score, with higher scores indicating greater pain intensity.
• Disability Assessment — Baseline and at end of treatment, 4 weeks
  The Neck Disability Index is the most widely used and most strongly validated tool for assessing self-assessed disability in patients with neck pain. It has been used effectively in both clinical and research settings in the treatment of this very common problem.Each question is scored on a scale of 0-5; the total score is expressed as a percentage between 0-100 (or 0-50 points).
• Joint Position sense assessment — Baseline and at end of treatment, 4 weeks
  It is an objective test used to assess the proprioceptive function (position sense) of the neck. It is used to measure whether cervical proprioception is impaired in individuals with neck pain and the effectiveness of interventions such as manual therapy (Cheng et al., 2010). Required Materials: Laser pointer or reflective marker. Headband (to secure the laser) Target point or reference frame (A point or circle can be drawn on the wall.) Goniometer or motion analyzer (Optional.)
• Fear avoidance questionnaire — Baseline and at end of treatment, 4 weeks
  It aims to comprehensively assess the cognitive, behavioral, and sensory components of fear-avoidance behavior in patients with painful medical conditions. Each item is scored on a 6-point Likert scale from 0, "Strongly disagree," to 5, "Strongly agree." The total score indicates one of several severity levels ranging from 0 to 100. The best score is 0 and the worst score is 100.

Trial sites (1)

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