Expert consensus on the important chronic non-specific neck pain motor control and segmental exercise and dosage variables: An international e-Delphi study.

Background: Chronic non-specific neck pain is highly prevalent, resulting in significant disability. Despite exercise being a mainstay treatment, guidance on optimal exercise and dosage variables is lacking. Combining submaximal effort deep cervical muscles exercise (motor control) and superficial cervical muscles exercise (segmental) reduces chronic non-specific neck pain, but evaluation of optimal exercise and dosage variables is prevented by clinical heterogeneity.

Effectiveness and optimal dosage of exercise training for chronic non-specific neck pain: A systematic review with a narrative synthesis.

Background: Clinical guidelines make vague recommendations as to exercise training (ET) type and dosage to manage chronic non-specific neck pain (CNSNP).

Objective: To synthesise evidence on the effectiveness of different ET programmes to reduce CNSNP and associated disability, and whether dosage affects outcomes.

Methods: A systematic review and data synthesis was conducted according to a published registered protocol (PROSPERO CRD42018096187).

Consensus on the exercise and dosage variables of an exercise training programme for chronic non-specific neck pain: protocol for an international e-Delphi study.

Introduction: Clinical guidelines and systematic reviews recommend exercise in the management of chronic non-specific neck pain. Although exercise training programmes that consist of both motor control exercise and exercises for the superficial cervical muscles (segmental exercises) are effective, the exercise variables including dosage vary considerably across trials or are poorly reported. This study aims to gain expert consensus on these exercise variables so that they can be described clearly using intervention reporting checklists to inform clinical practice and future clinical trials.