NCT07189052

Virtual Reality Program for Managing Chronic Neck Pain

Effects of a Virtual Reality-Based Rehabilitation Program on Pain and Function in Individuals With Chronic Neck Pain

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 32 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Hacettepe University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 65 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to find out if a virtual reality-based rehabilitation program developed by our team can help people with chronic neck pain. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does the VR program reduce neck pain? * Does it improve daily function and quality of life? Participants will: * Take part in a supervised virtual reality exercise program for 8 weeks, attending 3 sessions per week (24 sessions in total). * Each session will last about 45 minutes. * Complete tests and questionnaires about their pain, disability, and overall well-being before and after the program.

Detailed description

This trial evaluates a virtual reality (VR)-based rehabilitation program developed by our team for people with chronic neck pain, compared against conventional therapy (CT) delivered as standard physiotherapy. Both programs share the same exercise components (breathing, stretching, range-of-motion, and posture-strengthening); the VR arm provides a game-adapted version in an immersive "beach and ocean" setting via a head-mounted display. Participants in both arms attend 20-minute sessions, twice per week over the intervention period.   VR-Based Rehabilitation (Intervention) The VR treatment module is structured into four components that run continuously within a beach-themed scenario: * Breathing component: Before gameplay, participants are taught diaphragmatic breathing. In VR, the avatar starts on a deck chair by the sea; on-screen prompts guide the participant to inhale while lifting the head toward the sky and exhale while lowering toward the sand (approx. 5 minutes).  * Stretching component: The avatar rides a jet-ski along the shoreline and the participant collects coins arranged bilaterally, promoting controlled neck movements within the stretching block.  * Range-of-motion component: Therapeutic tasks cue cervical flexion, extension, lateral flexion (right/left), and rotation (right/left) as part of the game flow, mirroring the clinical ROM targets.  * Posture-strengthening component: Gamified tasks reinforce postural and scapular control consistent with the conventional program's strengthening principles.  Overall, the VR arm delivers the same exercise content as CT, but as a game-adapted version in an immersive beach setting via VR glasses.  Conventional Therapy (Comparator) The CT arm performs the same exercise categories as standard, therapist-guided physiotherapy with predefined sets/repetitions: * Diaphragmatic breathing: 10 repetitions.  * Stretching: Trapezius (right and left) - 10 repetitions × 15 seconds each side.  * Neck ROM exercises: Flexion \& extension; right/left lateral flexion; right/left rotation - 10 repetitions × 5 seconds per movement.  * Posture-strengthening: Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF)-based scapular retraction - 3 sets × 10 repetitions (with facilitation at the start of each series).  Dose \& schedule: Both arms follow 20-minute sessions, twice weekly; outcomes (e.g., pain, disability, kinesiophobia, quality of life) are recorded pre-/post-intervention (detailed in the Outcomes section).

Conditions

• Chronic Neck Pain

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Virtual Reality Rehabilitation	A virtual reality-based rehabilitation program including breathing, stretching, cervical range-of-motion, and posture-strengthening tasks delivered in a gamified seaside environment using a head-mounted VR display. Sessions will last 20 minutes, performed twice per week for 8 weeks (16 sessions total) under supervision.
OTHER	Conventional Rehabilitation	Standard physiotherapy including diaphragmatic breathing, trapezius stretching, cervical range-of-motion, and posture-strengthening with proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation. Sessions will last 20 minutes, performed twice per week for 8 weeks (16 sessions total) under supervision.

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-10-25
• Primary completion: 2027-10-25
• Completion: 2027-10-28
• First posted: 2025-09-23
• Last updated: 2025-09-29

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Turkey (Türkiye)