Effects of Education and Exercise on Pain, Psychosocial Factors, and Upper Limb Function in Non-specific Neck Pain.

The intervention consists of 20 minutes of pain neuroscience education, focused on concepts related to movement-related fear and the benefits of exercise for managing pain. Specific exercises, mentioned in the generic part of the procedure, will be discussed during this session. This intervention aims to modify the subjects' beliefs regarding exercises and their neck pain.

The exercise intervention includes performance tests and variations of these tests used as exercises, such as the Closed Kinetic Chain Upper Extremity Stability Test, Single Arm Military Press, and Seated Medicine Ball Throw. Variations of these performance tests will be implemented, with adjustments made to the load or execution time until the participant reports a perceived fatigue of 4-6 (moderate to strong) on the modified Borg scale.

The placebo intervention involves the application of a TENS device, which will be placed on the participant and kept turned off for 15 minutes. Subjects will be informed that the device is working at a very low intensity, too weak to be perceived. This intervention aims to simulate the experience of treatment without delivering any therapeutic effect.