Background: Patients with Chronic Tension Type Headache (CTTH) report functional and emotional impairments (loss of workdays, sleep disturbances, emotional well-being) and are at risk for overuse of medication. Manual therapy may improve symptoms through mobilisation of the spine, correction of posture, and training of cervical muscles.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to describe the design and baseline measurements of a prospective multicenter cohort study in patients with neck pain treated by Dutch manual therapists. Objectives of the study were to determine which patients seek help from a manual therapist, to describe usual care manual therapy in patients with neck pain, to examine the occurrence of nonserious adverse events after treatment, to describe predictors of adverse events, and to determine whether the occurrence of nonserious adverse events affect outcome after manual therapy care. Methods: During a 3-month inclusion period, consecutive patients aged between 18 and 80 years presenting with neck pain in manual therapy practices in The Netherlands were included in the study. Baseline questionnaires included the Numeric Rating Scale, Neck Disability Index (NDI), Neck Bournemouth Questionnaire, Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ), and Patient Expectancy List. Within the treatment episode, manual therapist clinical reasoning and applied interventions were registered and patients reported on adverse events. At the end of the treatment episode and at 12-month follow-up, pain intensity (Numeric Rating Scale), functional outcomes (NDI, Neck Bournemouth Questionnaire), personal factors (FABQ), and global perceived effect were measured. Results: During the 3-month inclusion period, 263 participating manual therapists collected data on 1193 patients with neck pain. Most patients (69.4%) were female. The mean age was 44.7 (±13.7) years. The NDI showed overall mild disability (mean score 26%). Mean scores in pain intensity were moderate (4.8), and there was low risk of prolonged disability owing to personal factors (FABQ). Conclusion: This study provides information on baseline characteristics of patients visiting manual therapists for neck pain. In The Netherlands, patients seeking care of manual therapists are comparable to patients in other countries regarding demographics and neck pain characteristics.

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