Bearing in mind the limited number of studies and the low method ological quality , there are some indications that the localization ( radiation to the arms/neurologic signs ) and radiologic findings ( degenerative changes in the discs and joints ) are not associated with a worse prognosis .
A higher severity of pain and a history of previous attacks however , seems to be associated with a worse prognosis
Neck pain occurs frequently in western societies .
In the majority of cases , no specific cause can be identified .
In order to gain insight into the clinical course and prognostic factors of non-specific neck pain , a systematic review was conducted .
The role of the psychologist in multidisciplinary treatments for chronic neck and shoulder pain: a controlled cost-effectiveness study.
This study was design ed to determine a cost-effective use of psychologist re sources in multimodal cognitive-behavioural treatments ( MMCBT ) for chronic neck/shoulder pain . A r and omised controlled trial was conducted with 66 patients divided in two groups . The first group ( A ) was treated following the approach of MMCBT with the clinical psychologist only functioning as a " coach " to the other health professionals . In this group , the psychologist had on average 5 hours of input per patients . The second group ( B ) was treated with the same inpatient MMCBT but with the behavioural component administered by the clinical psychologist directly to the patients . In this second group the psychologist had on average 17 hours of input per patient in the entire intervention . The outcome variables included physical , emotional and social factors , and sick-leave . Both groups showed significant improvements over time . The improvements were evident only in sub-groups , specifically in women . The only significant difference between the groups was in " perceived helplessness " favouring the " psychologist contact " setting . It is concluded that in terms of input of clinical psychology , the treatment setting with the " coaching " technique proved to be the most cost-effective use of the psychologist in the two treatment setting s investigated
Bearing in mind the limited number of studies and the low method ological quality , there are some indications that the localization ( radiation to the arms/neurologic signs ) and radiologic findings ( degenerative changes in the discs and joints ) are not associated with a worse prognosis .
A higher severity of pain and a history of previous attacks however , seems to be associated with a worse prognosis
Neck pain occurs frequently in western societies .
In the majority of cases , no specific cause can be identified .
In order to gain insight into the clinical course and prognostic factors of non-specific neck pain , a systematic review was conducted .