Clinical trials

Cervical disc herniation is a common degenerative spinal disorder associated with chronic neck pain, impaired cervical function, reduced motor control, and decreased quality of life. Although conventional physiotherapy is widely used, innovative rehabilitation strategies that enhance motor learning may improve treatment outcomes. This randomized controlled trial aims to investigate the clinical effectiveness of Action Observation (AO) and Motor Imagery (MI) training as an adjunct to conventional physiotherapy in individuals with cervical disc herniation and chronic neck pain. Thirty-six participants diagnosed with cervical disc herniation will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. The control group will receive conventional physiotherapy combined with sham observation consisting of neutral nature videos, while the experimental group will receive conventional physiotherapy plus AO and MI training. The intervention period will last six weeks. Clinical outcomes will be assessed before and after the intervention. Primary and secondary outcome measures will include pain intensity, pressure pain threshold, neck disability, kinesiophobia, cervical motor control and endurance, and cervical proprioception using validated assessment tools. The findings of this study are expected to provide evidence regarding the effectiveness of AO and MI training as complementary rehabilitation approaches for individuals with cervical disc herniation and to support the integration of motor learning-based interventions into clinical physiotherapy practice.