XiaoYa He,1,* Hang Zhou,2,* Yue Shuai Jiang,3 Da-Chao Liu,4 Fei Qi,4 ZiPu Wang5 

1Sports and Medicine Integrative Innovation Center, Capital University of Physical Education and Sports, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 2Shenzhen University Experimental High School, Shenzhen, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 3College of Physical Education and Arts Humanities, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), Beijing, 102249, People’s Republic of China; 4School of Sports Management and Communication, Capital University of Physical Education and Sports, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 5Periodical Department, Capital University of Physical Education and Sports, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: ZiPu Wang, Periodical Department, Capital University of Physical Education and Sports, 11 North Third Ring West Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, People’s Republic of China, Email 21008006003@cupes.edu.cn

Objective: The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of mobile health (mHealth) exercise interventions in comparison to traditional exercise methods (exercises guided offline by a rehabilitation therapist or performed independently according to the instruction manual) for relieving pain intensity, decreasing functional disability, and improving the overall quality of life for individuals suffering from Chronic Neck Pain (CNP).
Methods: A systematic search was performed to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published from their inception until December 25, 2024, across multiple databases, such as Cochrane, Embase, Medline, and Web of Science. Data extraction was carried out independently by pairs of reviewers, who also evaluated bias using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool.
Results: In total, six studies were identified, encompassing 381 participants with an average age of 41.17± 11.72 years. No statistically significant differences were observed in pain relief when comparing mHealth-based exercise to traditional exercise methods that did not incorporate mHealth (standard mean difference [SMD]=− 0.31; 95% CI: − 0.73 to 0.12, P=0.16). Additionally, there were no significant differences concerning functional disability (SMD=− 0.33; 95% CI: − 0.68 to 0.02; P=0.06) or quality of life (SMD=0.19; 95% CI: − 0.19 to 0.56; P=0.34). Conversely, a significant difference was noted when comparing mHealth-supported exercise to unsupervised traditional exercise regarding pain alleviation (SMD=− 0.76; 95% CI: − 1.06 to − 0.45; P< 0.001) and functional disability (SMD=− 0.66; 95% CI: − 1.01 to − 0.32; P< 0.001).
Conclusion: The results indicate that exercise facilitated by mHealth is more effective than traditional unsupervised exercise in preventing pain and enhancing functional capabilities in young and middle-aged patients experiencing chronic non-specific neck pain. Traditional exercise can serve as a foundational intervention for the rehabilitation of non-specific neck pain, while mobile health-assisted exercise offers a feasible alternative in situations where offline interventions are limited. This approach enhances the accessibility and coverage of rehabilitation services.
Plain Language Summary: Mobile health-based exercise interventions do not demonstrate a significant difference in pain relief effectiveness when compared to traditional face-to-face exercise interventions for patients suffering from chronic neck pain (CNP).Mobile health-based exercise proved to be more beneficial than unsupervised conventional exercise in alleviating pain and improving functional disability in patients with CNP.In circumstances where face-to-face exercise interventions are not feasible, mHealth-based exercise should be considered a viable alternative in the rehabilitation process for CNP.

Keywords: mHealth, exercise, chronic neck pain, meta-analysis