Participants of the study included one treatment group and one control group of subjects who were experiencing an episode of neck pain. The inclusion criteria for both groups were as follows: (1) aged 18 yr or older, (2) experiencing current neck pain with or without radiating pain, (3) no longterm use of systemic steroids over 3 mo, and (4) no spinal surgery within the previous year. Subjects were excluded if they had a history of ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis, spinal cord in-volvement, or congenital diseases affecting the musculoskeletal system. At the beginning of the study, patients referred from general practitioners for treatment of neck pain were scheduled for an initial screening evaluation performed by a physical therapist (A. H. Campbell). Patients who met the inclusion criteria were asked to enroll in this study and sign an institutionally approved informed consent. The subjects for the control group were recruited from the same referral bases as the treatment group. A convenient control group was formed by recruiting subjects who met the inclusion criteria but were unable to undergo treatment for the following reasons: (1) delay in insurance approval, (2) current exacerbation of chronic neck pain without physician referral, or (3) temporary time constraints of referred patients due to work or travel commitments.