Preliminary Effectiveness of Process-Based Personalized Physiotherapy for (Sub)Acute Neck Pain

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if personalized physiotherapy can lower neck pain in adults with recent (sub)acute neck pain who have a higher chance of the pain becoming long-lasting. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does personalized physiotherapy lower pain compared to standard physiotherapy? Does personalized physiotherapy improve daily activities, quality of life, and pain interference compared to standard physiotherapy? Do physiotherapists deliver the personalized treatment as intended? Researchers will compare each participant's own results during a standard care period to their results during a personalized care period, to see if the personalized approach works better than standard care. Participants will: Receive standard physiotherapy care for 3 weeks Then receive personalized physiotherapy, tailored to their individual needs, for several weeks (until their treatment goals are achieved) Answer short questions about their pain and daily functioning three times a week Take part in an interview about their experiences every 3 weeks

Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18 years or older * New episode of neck pain with duration ≤12 weeks since onset * Neck pain located in the region shown in Figure 2 * ≥19% risk of developing chronic complaints, as determined using a prognostic model * If a previous episode of neck pain occurred, the current episode must have been preceded by ≥3 consecutive months without persistent pain (defined as absence of pain associated with activity limitation or healthcare consultation) Exclusion Criteria: * Prior neck surgery * Cervical radiculopathy as identified using the Upper Limb Neurodynamic Test (ULNT1) * Widespread primary pain according to ICD-11 criteria (diffuse musculoskeletal pain in ≥4 of 5 body regions, across ≥3 body quadrants, involving the axial skeleton) * Pain of non-musculoskeletal origin * Insufficient proficiency in Dutch to read or understand study instructions