Effectiveness of motor imagery training in women with chronic neck pain: a single-blind, randomized controlled trial

Background Motor imagery training (MIT), a cognitive technique that involves mentally simulating movement, addresses the maladaptive neuroplastic changes associated with chronic pain.Objective The study aimed to investigate the effects of motor control exercises (MCE) combined with MIT on pain, pain-related beliefs, functional status, and neck awareness in women with chronic neck pain (CNP).Methods In this single-blind, randomized controlled trial, forty female participants with moderate CNP were allocated into two groups using stratified randomization: an experimental group (MCE, 30 min + MIT, 20 min; n = 20) and a control group (MCE, 30 min; n = 20). The researchers adapted the MIT procedure utilized in this study. Participants underwent training twice a week for eight weeks, with assessments conducted at pre-treatment, post-treatment, and a 12-week follow-up. Outcome measures included pain intensity, pain beliefs, muscle strength, endurance, functional status, neck awareness, and motor imagery ability.Results Both the experimental (mean age 51.50 ± 9.31 years) and control (mean age 55.00 ± 11.64 years) groups exhibited significant improvements in pain, pain-related beliefs, functional status, and neck awareness scores post-treatment (p < .05), and these improvements were maintained during the follow-up period. Furthermore, the experimental group demonstrated significantly greater improvements, with moderate-to-high effect sizes, in pain behavior (p = .01, η2 = 0.08), functional status (p < .05, η2 > 0.06), and neck awareness (p = .03, η2 = 0.09) compared to the control group (p < .05, η2 > 0.06).Conclusions The combination of MIT and MCE was more effective than MCE alone in improving pain-related parameters, functional status, and neck awareness in women with CNP.Clinical Trial Number NCT05999565