General exercises are not superior to specific exercises for pain and functional disability in individuals with chronic nonspecific neck pain. A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of general exercises with specific exercises for pain and functional disability of individuals with chronic nonspecific neck pain.

Method: This systematic review of clinical trials searched MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, CENTRAL, and PEDro databases with no date or language restriction. Methodological quality of evidence were assessed using the PEDro scale and GRADE, respectively. Pain and functional disability were the primary outcomes.

Results: This review included 14 articles from 12 studies, from which nine were included in meta-analyses. Data were from 926 individuals with chronic nonspecific neck pain, comparing specific exercises with mind-body and aerobic exercises (general exercises). Pain intensity was not different between aerobic and specific exercises, with a mean difference (MD) of 0.95 points (95% CI -1.62 to 3.51) in the medium-term and 0.32 points (95% CI -1.05 to 1.68) in the long-term. Mind-body exercises were not better than specific exercises for pain intensity in medium- (MD 0.54 points; 95% CI 0.00 to 1.08) or long-term (MD 0.06 points; 95% CI -0.59 to 0.46). Also, mind-body exercises did not improve functional disability compared with specific exercises in medium- or long-term (MD 0.01 points; 95% CI -0.25 to 0.27). The quality of evidence among studies ranged from very low to low across all comparisons.

Conclusion: General exercises are not superior to specific exercises for pain and functional disability in individuals with chronic nonspecific neck pain.