AI-Driven Programs for Non-specific Chronic Neck Pain

NCT07606729 | Active Not Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: P.T.REC/012/006233
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 40
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Non-specific chronic neck pain represents a major global health burden, affecting 30% to 50% of the general population. It is particularly prevalent among office workers, computer users, and women, with a notable rise in young adults aged 20 to 24. While acute episodes of neck pain may initially resolve, underlying functional impairments often persist, causing over a third of patients to develop chronic symptoms lasting three months or longer. Typically localized in the lateral and posterior neck regions without radicular signs, this condition is frequently driven by poor posture and improper ergonomics. The resulting abnormal stress on the cervical spine and musculature severely limits daily activities, lowers overall quality of life, and places a heavy socioeconomic strain on patients and their communities. Traditional conservative management typically relies on a combination of pharmacotherapy and standard physical therapy modalities, including manual techniques, exercise programs, electrotherapy, and thermal agents. However, these conventional interventions demand frequent, in-person clinical visits, creating a significant financial and logistical barrier for many families, particularly under current economic challenges in Egypt. Consequently, there is an urgent need for cost-effective, highly accessible, and novel rehabilitation models that can streamline care and optimize clinical outcomes. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning offer a promising solution to these challenges by providing automated, data-driven remote care. Through mobile apps and smart rehabilitation platforms, AI can analyze complex clinical datasets-including patient demographics, pain intensity, and radiographic alignment-to predict treatment timelines and automate routine clinical tasks. Crucially, AI solves the problem of standardized, non-individualized home exercise plans by adjusting to a patient's daily symptom presentation, mimics a therapist's tailored approach, and offers real-time feedback. However, as these technologies advance, a clear gap remains in the physical therapy profession. Many clinicians lack a foundational understanding of AI fundamentals and harbor concerns about automation, highlighting an urgent need to evaluate physical therapists' perceptions and preparation to foster clinical trust and seamless integration.

Conditions

Non-specific Chronic Neck Pain

Keywords

NON-SPECIFIC CHRONIC NECK PAIN; TRADITIONAL PHYSICAL THERAPY; AI-DRIVEN PROGRAM

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Pain Intensity

  For evaluating the pain degree of severity, the visual analogue scale was employed. It is a 10 cm or 100 mm psychometric response scale to measure pain intensity based on numerical values, anchored by a score of 0 no pain and score 10 worst ever pain.

  up to 6 weeks

• Cervical Range of Motion

  Cervical Range of Motion (CROM) device is a clinical tool commonly used to measure cervical ROM. The CROM device utilizes three inclinometers to measure active mobility of the cervical spine. Many studies have reported strong validity and reliability of the CROM device supporting the clinical value of the instrument. It was shown to have moderate to good intra-rater and inter-rater reliability of 0.84 to 0.96 and 0.73 to 0.94, respectively.

  up to 6 weeks

• Cervical Proprioception

  The Cervical Range of Motion (CROM) device also used to measure proprioception.Cervical proprioception was assessed by determining joint position error (JPE). JPE can be used to measure the ability of the individual to reposition their head back to its neutral head position (NHP) or to a predefined target head position (THP).

  up to 6 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Neck Disability Index

  up to 6 weeks

Study Arms (2)

AI-Driven Program

EXPERIMENTAL

Week 1 Hot pack / warm shower Chin to chest Gaze to ceiling Head rotation Shoulder rolls Cranio-cervical flexion (CCF) with pressure biofeedback Wall scapular clocks Week 2 Hot pack / warm shower Cat-cow exercise Thread-the-needle stretch Cranio-cervical flexion (CCF) with pressure biofeedback Theraband rows Serratus wall slides Week 3 Thoracic extension on foam roller Cranio-cervical flexion (CCF) with pressure biofeedback Theraband rows Prone T exercise Week 4 Dynamic pectoral corner stretch Cranio-cervical flexion (CCF) with pressure biofeedback Supine serratus punch Week 5 Prone chin tuck Serratus punch Prone Y exercise Week 6 Cranio-cervical flexion (CCF) with pressure biofeedback Band external rotation Theraband rows

Device: Pressure Biobfeedback

Traditional Physical Therapy Program

EXPERIMENTAL

This Group Will receive neck ROM exercises including: (neck extension, flexion, rotation, lateral bending motions, and scapular retraction, with no resistance), conventional physical therapy including: (Isometric training exercises for neck flexors, extensors, lateral flexors and rotators, Passive stretching exercises for neck extensor muscles, neck lateral flexor muscles, and scalene muscle, Hot packs), Dynamic pec stretch, Chin in exercise, core stabilization exercise including Bridging exercise and Quadruped with leg extension exercise.

Device: Hot Pack

Interventions

Pressure Biobfeedback DEVICE

Pressure biofeedback is a noninvasive technique that provides knowledge of performance through the hand held apparatus that can augment the patient's sensory feedback mechanism. In clinical practice, pressure biofeedback devices have primarily been used to test and train the deep neck flexor muscles to improve endurance

AI-Driven Program

Hot Pack DEVICE

used for warming up before exercises

Traditional Physical Therapy Program

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 35 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• The patients were selected according to the following criteria:
• Forty subjects who have complained of Nonspecific chronic Neck pain diagnosed by a physician will be recruited from the outpatient clinics through direct referrals, Faculty of Physical Therapy, Misr University for Science and Technology.
• Having neck pain for at least three months.
• Age: between 18-35 years old
• Both genders (Males and Females).
• Normal body mass index BMI (18.5-24.9)

You may not qualify if:

• A history of cervical spine injury or surgery.
• Neck pain as secondary to other conditions including neoplasm, neurological diseases or vascular diseases.
• Radiculopathy with neurological deficits.
• A history of infection or inflammatory arthritis in the cervical spine.
• Physical therapy within last six months.
• Presence of pain in the shoulder, upper extremity, scapula, or cervical spine that prohibited exercise.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Cairo University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Mariam

Giza, Egypt

Location

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Teaching Assistant

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 19, 2026
• First Posted: May 26, 2026
• Study Start: January 10, 2026
• Primary Completion: April 10, 2026
• Study Completion: May 19, 2026
• Last Updated: May 26, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-05

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

EG (1)