Neck pain is a highly prevalent condition that leads to considerable pain, disability, and economic cost. It not only constitutes a major personal burden but also affects families, the health system and the economic structure of countries. Neck pain is described as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage in the neck region, which starts at the superior nuchal line and continues down to the level of the scapular spine. Acute, sub-acute and chronic neck pain is defined as neck pain with full-time sick-listing for 0 - 21 days (3 weeks), 22 - 84 days (4-12 weeks) and more than 12 weeks, respectively. A number of studies have explored prognostic factors for neck pain. Most frequently reported prognostic factors are age, gender, pain severity, a history of neck pain, concomitant low back pain, duration of pain, occupation, previous trauma, and degenerative changes on X-ray. Physiotherapy interventions for chronic neck pain showing the strongest support for an effect on pain are strength and endurance training. Two of the most widely used treatment strategies for the management of neck pain is exercise therapy (ET) and manual therapy (MT). ET is defined as a regimen or plan of physical activities designed and prescribed for any therapeutic goals, which includes strength exercises, stabilization exercises and endurance exercises. MT may is defined as the use of hands to apply a force with therapeutic intent. various studies have evaluated the prognostic factors for individual neck pain conditions or treatment. but the author Knowledge, no such prognostic model is available yet that predict the recovery in patients of sub-acute and chronic neck pain when managed conservatively.
This prognostic prediction model will be a reference for the health care professionals in clinical decision making and subsequent outcomes in dealing with patients having sub-acute and chronic neck pain, as well as, it will be a guide regarding therapeutic management and patients' education. Although various studies have evaluated the prognostic factors for individual neck pain conditions or treatment, to author Knowledge, no such prognostic model is available yet that predict the recovery in patients of sub-acute and chronic neck pain when managed conservatively. Therefore, this study is aimed to create a prediction model suggesting the recovery time for neck pain.