The Wearable Postural Feedback Devices Combined with Exercise in Office Workers with Chronic Neck Pain

The goal of this clinical trial is to investigate the effects of wearable postural feedback devices added to exercise approach on neck pain and proprioception in office workers with nonspecific chronic neck pain.

H0: The effects of wearable postural feedback devices added to exercise and exercise approach on neck pain and proprioception are similar in office workers with nonspecific chronic neck pain.

H1: The effects of wearable postural feedback devices added to exercise and exercise approach on neck pain and proprioception are different in office workers with nonspecific chronic neck pain.

58 office workers aged 25-55 years with nonspecific chronic neck pain will be included and divided into 2 groups, physiotherapy programs will be applied for 8 weeks, 3 days a week. All participants will be trained on office ergonomics and proper sitting posture at the beginning of the study. Group 1: Exercise and Postural feedback, Group 2: Exercise. Sociodemographic information will be questioned, pain, neck proprioception, craniovertebral angle, neck muscle strength, endurance and range of motion will be assessed. Neck disability index, physical activity level, stress perception level, fatigue level, work performance and patient satisfaction will also be evaluated at baseline and 8 weeks.

Treatment of work-related musculoskeletal disorders can be challenging due to multiple underlying risk factors like physical workload, poor posture, altered sensorimotor control, biopsychosocial conditions. When the information provided by the individual's own sensory system is insufficient, the use of extrinsic feedback has been proposed as an option to reduce sensorimotor discomfort and thus improve movement control. Due to the progress in miniaturization technology of the microelectromechanical system, postural feedback devices have been developed.

Recent studies have used different feedback methods to improve posture. Studies have compared the effectiveness of different types of feedback, active exercise and passive therapy. However, there is a need for studies examining the effects of adding postural feedback to different intervention strategies in the office environment.

Small, lightweight and easy to wear feedback devices can be expected to provide positive effects on neck pain and proprioception in addition to classical exercises by providing real-time feedback to the user during daily activities.

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* Complained of neck pain during work for at least 3 months,
* Neck pain severity of 3 and above according to the Numerical Pain Rating Scale,
* Office worker between the ages of 25-55,
* Full-time and regular desk worker for the last 3 years,
* Participants who use a computer at a desk for at least 3 hours a day will be included.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Having neurological and rheumatologic chronic diseases,
* Receiving physical therapy in the last 6 months
* History of trauma to the upper extremities and spine,
* Having diagnoses such as thoracic outlet, cervical rib, vertebrobasilar artery insufficiency,
* History of cervical spine surgery,
* Having suffered a whiplash injury,
* Diagnosed cervical disc and spine pathologies (such as radiculopathy, myelopathy, fracture, infection, tumor, inflammatory diseases, osteoporosis)