Maryam Saadat, Reza Salehi, Hossein Negahban, Mohammad Jafar Shaterzadeh, Mohammad Mehravar and Masumeh Hessam
Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Iran
Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Iran
Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Physiother Rehabil
Objective: This study examined the effects of combining traditional physical therapy exercises with sensorimotor
trainings on joint position sense, pain, muscle endurance, balance and disability in patients with chronic non-specific
neck pain.
Design: Double-blind, randomized controlled trial.
Subjects & Interventions: A total of 53 patients with chronic non-specific neck pain were randomized to either
traditional or combined exercise groups. All patients received 12 sessions supervised intervention, 3 times per
week. The traditional group received traditional exercises but the combined exercise group performed sensorimotor
training in addition to traditional exercises.
Outcome measures: Joint position sense, pain, neck flexor muscle endurance test, 10 Meter Walk Test, step test, and
Neck Disability Index
Results: The combined exercise group showed significantly greater improvement at joint position sense in extension,
flexion, right rotation, 10 meter walk test with head turn and step test compared with the traditional group. Pain
intensity, muscle endurance, and disability improved in both groups. However, the effect size of muscle endurance
was large for the combined exercise group whereas moderate for traditional group.
Conclusions: Combination of sensorimotor training to the traditional physical therapy exercises could be more
effective than traditional exercises alone in improving joint position sense, endurance, dynamic balance and walking
speed.
Maryam Saadat is from Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Iran.
E-mail: maryamsaadat2008@yahoo.com
Spanish 
Chinese 
Russian 
German 
French 
Japanese 
Portuguese 
Hindi 