A Comparison of the Effects of Stochastic Resonance Therapy, Whole-Body Vibration, and Balance Training on Pain Perception and Sensorimotor Function in Patients With Chronic Nonspecific Neck Pain: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND: Neck pain is a prevalent pathological condition, and together with low back pain, it presents as the leading cause of years lived with disability worldwide in 2015 and continues to contribute substantially to the global burden of disease. OBJECTIVE: This study will investigate and compare the effects of stochastic resonance therapy (SRT), whole-body vibration (WBV), and balance training (BLT) in the management of chronic nonspecific neck pain. METHODS: In total, 45 participants with chronic neck pain will be randomly allocated into SRT, WBV, and BLT groups. Pain intensity, pressure pain threshold, neck disability, and cervical joint position sense will be measured before, immediately after, and 15 minutes after the first intervention session and after 4 weeks of intervention. A follow-up postintervention measurement would be taken after 4 weeks. The SRT group will train on an SRT device (SRT Zeptor Medical plus noise, Zeptoring). The WBV group will train on a Galileo vibration device (Novotec Medical), while the BLT group will perform balance exercises. All participants shall train 3 times a week for a period of 4 weeks. Mixed ANOVA will be used to determine the main and effects of interactions within (before intervention, post intervention 1, post intervention 2, post intervention 3, and follow-up) and between (SRT, WBV, and BLT) factors on the study outcome variables. RESULTS: Recruitment of participants started in May 2021, and as of May 2022, a total of 20 patients have been enrolled in the study. All participants are expected to have completed the trial by the end of 2022, and data analysis will commence thereafter. CONCLUSIONS: The outcome of this study will shed closer light on the effects of SRT, WBV, and BLT on pain and function in patients with chronic neck pain. TRIAL REGISTRATION: German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00023881; https://tinyurl.com/ycxuhj37 INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/34430