This study will contribute to a better understanding of
treating patients with chronic neck pain following a whi-
plash accident. The knowledge from this study can be
implemented into clinical practice, as the study is based
on a multimodal approach, mirroring the approach,
which in spite of the current lack of evidence, is often
used in a clinical physiotherapy setting. The study may
also be included in systematic reviews thereby contribut-
ing to updating the knowledge about this population
and to enhancing evidence-based treatment.
Publishing the design of a study before the study is per-
formed and the results obtained has several advantages. It
allows the design to be finalised without its being influ-
enced by the outcomes. This can assist in preventing bias
as deviations from the original design can be identified.
Other research projects will have the opportunity to fol-
low a similar approach with respect to population, inter-
ventions, controls and outcome measurements. The
challenges of this study are related to standardising the
interventions, treating a non-homogeneous population,
defining and standardising relevant outcome measures
on a population with long-lasting symptoms and having a
population from two different clinical settings. Standardi-
sation of the interventions is obtained by teaching the
involved physiotherapists in an instructional course.
Population homogeneity will be handled by strict inclu-
sion and exclusion criteria and by monitoring the base-
line characteristics of the patients, and differences
between groups based on other influences than the