Cognitive and motor performances in dual tasks in older adults with chronic neck pain: A randomized controlled clinical trial

Aim: There is limited information on dual-task performance in older individuals with chronic neck pain. This study aims to investigate cognitive and motor performances during dual tasks in older adults with chronic neck pain. Methods: Thirty-five older adults with chronic neck pain and 35 older adults without neck pain were included in the study. The timed up and go test evaluated individuals’ single-task performance. To assess the dual-task performances of the groups, the individuals were given motor and cognitive (forward and backward digit span) tasks simultaneously with the timed up and go test. During cognitive dual-task, the cognitive performances of individuals were evaluated and the duration of their timed up and go test was recorded. Results: There was no difference between the groups in terms of single-task timed up and go test (p >0.05). There was also no difference between the groups in terms of cognitive-forward and cognitive-backward (p >0.05). However, cognitive performance of the chronic neck pain group during dual-task was worse than that of the control group (p <0.05). Additionally, the motor dual-task of older adults in the chronic neck pain group was worse than the control group (p <0.05). Conclusion: Older adults with chronic neck pain struggle more in motor dual-task situations than asymptomatic older adults. Therefore, gait assessment with a motor dual task should be performed for older adults with chronic neck pain. In addition, during cognitive dual-task conditions, the cognitive performance of older adults should be evaluated in addition to their gait performance. Keywords: Aged; Gait; Neck Pain; Postural Balance; Task Performance and Analysis.