Table 1.
Baseline variables
| Variable | NSE (n = 76) | NSEB (n = 71) | PPA (n = 69) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WAD grade 2/3 [n (%)] | 49/27 (64/36) | 33/38 (46/54) | 41/28 (58/42) | 0.08 |
| Gender female [n (%)] | 57 (75) | 47 (66) | 38 (55) | 0.04 |
| Age, mean (range) SD | 38 (18–62) 11.3 | 40 (19–63) 11.6 | 43 (19–63) 10.7 | 0.03 |
| Months since injury, mean (range) SD | 19 (6–36) 8.7 | 20 (6–36) 8.9 | 20 (6–36) 10.3 | 0.69 |
| Smoker [n (%)] | 17 (22) | 8/62 (11/89) | 12/55 (18/82) | 0.22 |
| Educational level [n (%)] | 0.44 | |||
| Educational level, elementary | 4 (5) | 6 (9) | 6 (9) | |
| Educational level, high school | 38 (50) | 40 (57) | 34 (51) | |
| Educational level, university | 31 (41) | 21 (30) | 24 (36) | |
| Educational level, other | 3 (4) | 3 (4) | 3 (4) | |
| Use of analgesic drugs yes [n (%)] | 40 (53) | 44 (62) | 45 (67) | 0.23 |
| Employed [n (%)] | 61 (80) | 57 (80) | 52 (75) | 0.71 |
| Physical activity level, IPAQ | 0.74 | |||
| Physical activity level, low | 16 (30) | 14 (26) | 25 (34) | |
| Physical activity level, medium | 26 (48) | 25 (45) | 26 (36) | |
| Physical activity level, high | 12 (22) | 16 (29) | 22 (30) | |
| Comorbidity yes [n (%)]a | 56 (74) | 52 (73) | 49 (71) | 0.76 |
| Mental disorder/distress | 15 (20) | 20 (29) | 18 (27) | |
| Gastrointestinal disease | 17 (23) | 18 (27) | 21 (32) | |
| Respiratory disease | 17 (22) | 12 (18) | 6 (9) | |
| Skin disease | 16 (21) | 12 (18) | 7 (11) | |
| Cardiovascular disease | 8 (11) | 8 (11) | 6 (9) | |
| Endocrine/metabolic disease | 9 (12) | 8 (12) | 11 (17) | |
| Neurological/sensory disease (eye, ear) | 10 (13) | 4 (6) | 9 (13) | |
| Digestive disease | 9 (12) | 8 (12) | 11 (17) | |
| Number of comorbidities, mean (SD) | 1.8 (1.3) | 1.7 (1.4) | 1.8 (1.4) | 0.90 |
| Pain catastrophizing (PCSc), mean (SD) | 19 (10) | 20 (13) | 17 (10) | 0.46 |
| HADS, depression, mean (SD) | 4.5 (3.8) | 4.8 (4.3) | 5.0 (4.3) | 0.89 |
| HADS, anxiety, mean (SD) | 5.8 (3.9) | 5.9 (5.1) | 6.3 (3.6) | 0.78 |
| Neck disability (NDI), mean (SD) | 31 (12.5) | 34 (13.6) | 34 (13.7) | 0.39 |
| Current pain, VAS, mean (SD) | 39 (24) | 46 (24) | 42 (26) | 0.26 |
| Pain disability (PDI), mean (SD) | 19 (12) | 23 (16) | 20 (13) | 0.30 |
| Work ability (WAI), mean (SD) | 35 (6) | 36 (7) | 35 (7) | 0.64 |
| Kinesophobia (TSK), mean (SD) | 22 (5) | 22 (6) | 22 (6) | 0.99 |
HADS Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, IPAQ International Physical Activity Questionnaire, NDI Neck Disability Index (% score), NSE neck-specific exercise, NSEB neck-specific exercise with behavioural approach, PCSc Pain Catastrophizing Scale, PDI Pain Disability Index, PPA prescription of physical activity, SD standard deviation, TSK Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia, VAS Visual Analogue Scale, WAD whiplash-associated disorder
aComorbidity: non-musculoskeletal diseases with > 5 participants in all of the groups are specified. Tumours, blood, genital/urinary disease, birth defects and “other” with < 5 participants and are not presented