Neck PainNCT06731816
The Effect of Stabilization Exercises on Pain, Posture, and Sleep in Office Workers With Neck Pain
A study testing Neck and stabilization exercise group and Neck exercise group in people with Neck Pain and Neck Pain Treatment, run by Lokman Hekim University at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye).
Trial summary
With this study that will be examined the effects of stabilization exercises applied in addition to neck exercises on neck pain, posture and sleep quality in office workers with neck pain. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 45 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Neck Pain, Neck Pain Treatment
- What is being tested?
- Neck and stabilization exercise group and Neck exercise group
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 30 participants
- Where
- 1 siteTurkey (Türkiye)
- Study dates
- 1 Mar 2025to 30 Dec 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 45 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Volunteering to participate in the study and approving the informed consent form,
- Using a computer, tablet and/or phone for more than 3 hours per day for the last 6 months,
- Having recurrent or persistent pain in the neck region for at least 3 months,
- Having a Neck Disability Scale score of 15 points or higher,
- Having a VAS Pain score of 5 or higher.
Who cannot join
- Having a neurological diagnosis,
- Having a radiologically confirmed orthopedic diagnosis from the neck region (neck hernia, fracture, dislocation, spondylolisthesis),
- Having a systemic and chronic disease diagnosis that can affect the neck region and joints,
- Having a history of surgical intervention or trauma from the neck region,
- Having cognitive impairment that makes communication and evaluation difficult.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
Turkey (Türkiye)1 site
Lokman Hekim University Health Sciences Institute
Ankara, Çankaya/Sögütözü
About this study
Official title: The Comparison of the Effects of Neck Exercises With or Without the Stabilization Exercises on Pain, Posture, and Sleep Quality in Office Workers With Neck Pain
With this study that will be examined the effects of stabilization exercises applied in addition to neck exercises on neck pain, posture and sleep quality in office workers with neck pain.
Read the detailed description
Today, technological devices play a significant role in both professional and personal aspects of our lives. While computer use in office workers increases work productivity, it also brings about certain health risks by affecting posture and the musculoskeletal system. During screen use, the repetitive and prolonged forward movement of the head and arms results in a kyphotic posture and an increased neck flexion angle, which causes pain in the cervical region. When the head is in a neutral position, the amount of load carried by the cervical region is estimated to be around 4.5-5.5 kg, whereas with a 15° neck flexion, this load increases to 12.25 kg, and with a 30° flexion angle, it reaches approximately 13.61 kg. Increased flexion angles in the cervical region lead to an increase in mechanical stress on ligaments, tendons, muscles, and bones, and this stress poses a potential risk for the development of arthritis, disc degeneration, and headaches.
Musculoskeletal disorders caused by these symptoms are believed to reduce work productivity and lead to employees taking breaks from their tasks. Prolonged use of smartphones or computers is associated with increased anxiety and stress levels, as well as sleep problems. Pilates has become an increasingly popular form of exercise in the rehabilitation field in recent years. Joseph Pilates referred to the core region as the "powerhouse" and considered core control to be a fundamental component of body movement. According to Pilates, learning to properly engage the core muscles improves movement quality, enhances posture, and provides better stabilization. Exercises targeting the deep stabilizing muscles strengthen the torso, correct posture, and improve balance.
Pilates training plays a role in increasing strength and endurance, restoring normal proprioceptive mechanisms, and maintaining flexibility. For this reason, it is recommended in both preventive and therapeutic exercise programs. The aim of this study is to create two different exercise programs for office workers with neck pain and to investigate the effects of stabilization exercises, applied in addition to neck exercises, on neck pain, posture, and sleep quality.
- Conditions
- Neck Pain, Neck Pain Treatment
- Being tested
- Neck and stabilization exercise group, Neck exercise group
- Keywords
- Sleep Quality, Posture, Pain, Neckache, Neck Pains, Exercise, Neck Exercises, Stabilization Exercises
- Medical subject headings
- Neck Pain, Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders, Pain, Motor Activity
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Neck and stabilization exercise groupOther
Participants in this group will attend 2 sessions per week for 8 weeks, for a total of 16 sessions. In addition to neck stretching, range of motion, and isometric exercises applied in the neck exercise group, they will also apply spinal and cervical region stabilization exercises.
Neck exercise groupOther
Participants in this group will attend 2 sessions per week for 8 weeks, for a total of 16 sessions. They will perform neck stretching, range of motion and isometric exercises.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Neck and stabilization exercise group | Active comparator | In addition to neck stretching, range of motion, and isometric exercises, spinal stabilization exercises will be applied. Receives: Other: Neck and stabilization exercise group |
| Neck exercise group | Active comparator | Neck stretching, range of motion, and isometric exercises will be applied. Receives: Other: Neck exercise group |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Visual Analog Scale (VAS)
This scale consists of a horizontal line 10 cm (100mm) in length, where the starting point marked as 0 represents "no pain," and the point marked as 10 represents "the most intense pain." Participants are asked to mark the point on this line that corresponds to their current level of pain.
Measured: 8 weeks
Neck Disability Index (NDI)
Neck Disability Index is a commonly used self-reported questionnaire designed to assess the level of disability caused by neck pain. It evaluates how neck pain affects a person's daily activities, including their ability to work, engage in physical activities, and manage personal care. The NDI consists of 10 sections, each with a set of questions that cover different aspects of daily life, such as pain intensity, personal care, lifting, reading, headaches, concentration, sleeping, driving, and working. Each section is scored from 0 to 5, with higher scores indicating greater disability. A total score between 15 and 24 indicates moderate disability, a score between 25 and 34 indicates severe disability, and a score of 35 or above indicates complete disability.
Measured: 8 weeks
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index is a widely used tool for assessing sleep quality and disturbances. It is a self-reported questionnaire that evaluates various aspects of sleep over a one-month period. The PSQI consists of 19 items grouped into seven components, each assessing a different aspect of sleep. Each component is scored from 0 to 3, with higher scores indicating worse sleep quality or greater disturbances. The total score is calculated by adding the component scores, with a maximum possible score of 21. A total score above 5 is typically considered indicative of poor sleep quality.
Measured: 8 weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted12 Dec 2024
- Study start1 Mar 2025
- Primary completion30 May 2025
- Study completion30 Dec 2025 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Neck PainStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Parallel group comparison
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 30 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Lokman Hekim University
- Sponsor type
- Other government
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Seda BAKTIR, Lokman Hekim University
- Investigators
- Z.Seda Baktir Dogan Assist Profesor, Doctorate, Principal investigator, Lokman Hekim University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06731816
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- LHU-FTR-ZSBD-02
- Status last verified
- Sep 2025
- First submitted
- 9 Dec 2024
- Last updated
- 15 Sep 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: After the beginning of the study, it is more suitable to share. Yet, it is early to estimate the progression of study.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 15 Sep 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- The Comparison of the Effects of Neck Exercises With or Without the Stabilization Exercises on Pain, Posture, and Sleep Quality in Office Workers With Neck Pain
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06731816
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- LHU-FTR-ZSBD-02
- Conditions
- Neck Pain, Neck Pain Treatment
- Keywords
- Sleep Quality, Posture, Pain, Neckache, Neck Pains, Exercise, Neck Exercises, Stabilization Exercises
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Active, not recruiting
- Enrolment
- 30 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Lokman Hekim UniversityOther government
- Study start
- 1 Mar 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 30 May 2025 (actual)
- Study completion
- 30 Dec 2025 (estimated)
- First posted
- 12 Dec 2024 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
With this study that will be examined the effects of stabilization exercises applied in addition to neck exercises on neck pain, posture and sleep quality in office workers with neck pain.
Detailed description
Today, technological devices play a significant role in both professional and personal aspects of our lives. While computer use in office workers increases work productivity, it also brings about certain health risks by affecting posture and the musculoskeletal system. During screen use, the repetitive and prolonged forward movement of the head and arms results in a kyphotic posture and an increased neck flexion angle, which causes pain in the cervical region. When the head is in a neutral position, the amount of load carried by the cervical region is estimated to be around 4.5-5.5 kg, whereas with a 15° neck flexion, this load increases to 12.25 kg, and with a 30° flexion angle, it reaches approximately 13.61 kg. Increased flexion angles in the cervical region lead to an increase in mechanical stress on ligaments, tendons, muscles, and bones, and this stress poses a potential risk for the development of arthritis, disc degeneration, and headaches.
Musculoskeletal disorders caused by these symptoms are believed to reduce work productivity and lead to employees taking breaks from their tasks. Prolonged use of smartphones or computers is associated with increased anxiety and stress levels, as well as sleep problems. Pilates has become an increasingly popular form of exercise in the rehabilitation field in recent years. Joseph Pilates referred to the core region as the "powerhouse" and considered core control to be a fundamental component of body movement. According to Pilates, learning to properly engage the core muscles improves movement quality, enhances posture, and provides better stabilization. Exercises targeting the deep stabilizing muscles strengthen the torso, correct posture, and improve balance.
Pilates training plays a role in increasing strength and endurance, restoring normal proprioceptive mechanisms, and maintaining flexibility. For this reason, it is recommended in both preventive and therapeutic exercise programs. The aim of this study is to create two different exercise programs for office workers with neck pain and to investigate the effects of stabilization exercises, applied in addition to neck exercises, on neck pain, posture, and sleep quality.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- Parallel group comparison
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Neck and stabilization exercise group | Active comparator | Other: Neck and stabilization exercise groupIn addition to neck stretching, range of motion, and isometric exercises, spinal stabilization exercises will be applied. |
| Neck exercise group | Active comparator | Other: Neck exercise groupNeck stretching, range of motion, and isometric exercises will be applied. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 45 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Volunteering to participate in the study and approving the informed consent form,
- Using a computer, tablet and/or phone for more than 3 hours per day for the last 6 months,
- Having recurrent or persistent pain in the neck region for at least 3 months,
- Having a Neck Disability Scale score of 15 points or higher,
- Having a VAS Pain score of 5 or higher.
Key exclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Having a neurological diagnosis,
- Having a radiologically confirmed orthopedic diagnosis from the neck region (neck hernia, fracture, dislocation, spondylolisthesis),
- Having a systemic and chronic disease diagnosis that can affect the neck region and joints,
- Having a history of surgical intervention or trauma from the neck region,
- Having cognitive impairment that makes communication and evaluation difficult.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Neck and stabilization exercise groupParticipants in this group will attend 2 sessions per week for 8 weeks, for a total of 16 sessions. In addition to neck stretching, range of motion, and isometric exercises applied in the neck exercise group, they will also apply spinal and cervical region stabilization exercises. | Other | Neck and stabilization exercise group |
| Neck exercise groupParticipants in this group will attend 2 sessions per week for 8 weeks, for a total of 16 sessions. They will perform neck stretching, range of motion and isometric exercises. | Other | Neck exercise group |
Primary outcome
Visual Analog Scale (VAS)
Time frame: 8 weeks
This scale consists of a horizontal line 10 cm (100mm) in length, where the starting point marked as 0 represents "no pain," and the point marked as 10 represents "the most intense pain." Participants are asked to mark the point on this line that corresponds to their current level of pain.
Neck Disability Index (NDI)
Time frame: 8 weeks
Neck Disability Index is a commonly used self-reported questionnaire designed to assess the level of disability caused by neck pain. It evaluates how neck pain affects a person's daily activities, including their ability to work, engage in physical activities, and manage personal care. The NDI consists of 10 sections, each with a set of questions that cover different aspects of daily life, such as pain intensity, personal care, lifting, reading, headaches, concentration, sleeping, driving, and working. Each section is scored from 0 to 5, with higher scores indicating greater disability. A total score between 15 and 24 indicates moderate disability, a score between 25 and 34 indicates severe disability, and a score of 35 or above indicates complete disability.
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)
Time frame: 8 weeks
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index is a widely used tool for assessing sleep quality and disturbances. It is a self-reported questionnaire that evaluates various aspects of sleep over a one-month period. The PSQI consists of 19 items grouped into seven components, each assessing a different aspect of sleep. Each component is scored from 0 to 3, with higher scores indicating worse sleep quality or greater disturbances. The total score is calculated by adding the component scores, with a maximum possible score of 21. A total score above 5 is typically considered indicative of poor sleep quality.
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 15 Sep 2025.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. After the beginning of the study, it is more suitable to share. Yet, it is early to estimate the progression of study.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Z.Seda Baktir Dogan Assist Profesor, Doctorate principal investigator
Lokman Hekim University
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Neck and stabilization exercise group and Neck exercise group in people with Neck Pain and Neck Pain Treatment, run by Lokman Hekim University at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye).
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 5 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 15 Sep 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye). Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Visual Analog Scale (VAS) (time frame: 8 weeks). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 15 Sep 2025.