Investigation of the Effect of Motor Imagery Training in Individuals with Cervical Discogenic Pain

Hacettepe University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Disc Herniation; Neck Pain; Image, Body

Treatments: Other: Motor Control Exercises; Other: Motor Imagery Exercises

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05999565

Tugbadere

Details and patient eligibility

About

In this study, motor control exercises including cervical region, upper extremity and scapular region muscles will be applied routinely in individuals with chronic neck pain. The application will been investigating, called motor imagery training, will been carried out together with motor control exercises.

Full description

This training is a mental exercise method based on imagining exercises that are performed actively without any interventional application inside or outside the body, in a comfortable environment and without fatigue. It is thought that motor imagery training applied together with motor control exercises will contribute to the management of chronic neck pain due to cervical disc herniation and symptoms related to pain.

All individuals with cervical discogenic pain who met the inclusion criteria were assigned to '1. Group' and '2. It will be divided into two groups. It is planned to include approximately 20 individuals with cervical discogenic pain in each group. The sample size of the study will be determined by the power analysis to be made as a result of the pilot study to be carried out on 10 patients with the support of Biostatistics USA.

Group 1: (estimated) 20 Individuals with Cervical Discogenic Pain Group 2: (estimated) 20 Individuals with Cervical Discogenic Pain

Enrollment: 40 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 65 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Being between the ages of 18 and 65,
• Having a diagnosis of cervical disc herniation based on MRI findings, clinical, and physical examination,
• Experiencing neck pain for 3 months or longer,
• Having a resting pain intensity rated 3-7 (moderate severity) on the "Visual Analog Scale" for pain assessment (36),
• Classifying neck pain according to the 'Neck Pain Task Force' clinical classification system as Grade 3 (neck pain with accompanying neurological symptoms) or above,
• Having a Mini-Mental Test score of 24 or higher for the evaluation of cognitive functions.

Exclusion criteria

• Having a history of spinal tumor, spinal deformities, congenital malformation, or head trauma,
• Undergoing cervical spine surgery in the last 6 months,
• Having a presence of systemic, cardiorespiratory, central nervous system, or rheumatic diseases, any musculoskeletal or craniocervical disorders, or a history of headache.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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40 participants in 2 patient groups

Motor Imagery Training

Experimental group

Description:

Motor Imagery Training Motor Imagery Training will be applied only to the 2nd group, under the supervision of a physiotherapist, twice a week for 8 weeks, for 20 minutes each session. The treatment duration for the 2nd group will be planned to be a total of 50 minutes, including both motor imagery and motor control exercises. Motor imagery sessions will take place in a quiet environment, with individuals comfortably seated. Lateralization Training Kinesthetic Imagery Visual Imagery Mirror-Image Active Exercise: Between weeks 6 and 8 of motor imagery training, the active exercises (Stretching Exercises, Active Exercises, and Endurance Exercises) will be actively performed in front of a mirror

Treatment:

Other: Motor Imagery Exercises

Other: Motor Control Exercises

Motor Control Exercise

Experimental group

Description:

Stretching Exercises: Stretching exercises will be applied to the cervical muscles, pectoral muscles, back, and shoulder muscles. Individuals will be asked to perform flexion, extension, lateral flexion, and rotational normal joint movements in the cervical region, and hold the end position for a few seconds. All stretching exercises will be performed for 15 repetitions. Active Exercises: To strengthen the cervical muscle groups, individuals will be taught how to use a mild to moderate resistance theraband for cervical flexion, extension, and lateral flexion, without compromising the chin tuck movement. Each movement will be performed for 10 repetitions, with 5-second rest intervals between exercises. Endurance Exercises: Before starting the endurance exercises, individuals will be taught the contraction of deep cervical flexors to gain automatic postural stabilization, and they will be instructed to maintain this movement in every exercise and activity.

Treatment:

Other: Motor Control Exercises