Table 1 Inclusion and exclusion criteria for participants with neck-shoulder pain

Neck-shoulder region as the dominant pain area

Neck pain is the focus area.

Pain drawing, clinical examination

Age 20-65

The study aim at the working population.

Questionnaire

≥ 10 and ≤ 68 NDI score

Focus on participants with mild, moderate or severe disability.

Questionnaire

Impaired capacity to work due to neck problems

Focus on participants with disability that is relevant for working life.

Questionnaire

EXCLUSION

Criteria

Reason

Assessment

Trauma-related neck pain

Focus on nonspecific neck-shoulder pain.

Questionnaire

Cervical rhizopathy or vestibular dysfunction

Focus on nonspecific neck-shoulder pain without specific diagnosis that needs specific treatment.

Questionnaire, clinical examination at suspicion

Psychiatric, inflammatory, endocrinal, rheumatic, cancer, neurological or connective tissue disorders, stroke, heart infarct or type 1-diabetes

Focus on nonspecific neck-shoulder pain without specific diagnosis that needs specific treatment.

Questions if diagnoses exist from medical doctor

Concurrent low back pain

Predict poor treatment outcome and affect functioning.

Questionnaire

Fibromyalgia/generalized pain

Focus on nonspecific neck pain.

Questionnaire, clinical examination at suspicion

Low treatment expectation or catastrophizing most or all of the time

Prognostic factor for poor treatment outcome.

Questionnaire

Anxiety or depression

Prognostic factor for poor treatment outcome.

Questionnaire

Temporomandibular disorders

Focus on nonspecific neck-shoulder pain without specific diagnosis that needs specific treatment.

Questionnaire

Surgery or a fracture in the neck, back or shoulder, luxation of a shoulder joint

Risk that this affects the measurements in a specific way, unrelated to nonspecific neck pain.

Questionnaire

Severely restricted ROM in cervical rotation or shoulder flexion

Will not be able to accomplish the tests of functioning

Clinical examination