Influence of pain neuroscience education and exercises for the management of neck pain: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

研究概要

This meta-analysis included four randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with a total of 246 patients diagnosed with neck pain. The study compared the effectiveness of pain neuroscience education plus exercise against exercise alone. Pooled outcomes of interest included Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores post-treatment and at three months, functional disability index, and pain catastrophizing scale. The combined intervention led to significant reductions in post-treatment VAS, VAS at three months, functional disability index, and pain catastrophizing scale. These findings suggest that incorporating pain neuroscience education with exercise is more effective in alleviating neck pain and improving patient function than exercise alone.