Exercise Prescription for Non-Specific Neck Pain: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice Gaps

Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants who treat people with neck pain in outpatient, hospital, direct-access, and sports settings, and educators or clinic leads responsible for staff development in musculoskeletal care.

Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants working in orthopaedic and musculoskeletal practice, including clinicians in direct access and secondary care settings, clinical educators, and students preparing for musculoskeletal caseloads.

Intended audience

Physical Therapy

Level

Introductory

Delivery format

Online, asynchronous, self-paced course: interactive reading with audio or video, and a scored post-test.

Based on

This course is based on a single peer-reviewed source:

Lopez G, Landino L, Faletra A, Maselli F, Dunning J, Young I, Giovannico G, Brindisino F, Feller D, Falla D, Mourad F. Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Italian Physiotherapists When Prescribing Exercise for People With Non-Specific Neck Pain: A National Survey. Musculoskeletal Care. 2025;23:e70115.

All findings, figures, and conclusions presented in this course come from that article. No claims have been added from other literature.

After completing this course, you will be able to:

1. Describe what the national survey of Italian physiotherapists set out to measure about exercise prescription for non-specific neck pain and who responded.
2. State the survey's main findings regarding self-reported training in exercise prescription and familiarity with cervical neuromuscular and sensorimotor assessment tests.
3. Explain the limits the authors placed on their own findings and what the authors concluded about training and curriculum needs.

1. Start Here: course overview, objectives, and how to earn credit
2. Audio Lesson: Exercise for Neck Pain — What Clinicians Say They Know (about nine minutes)
3. Who Was Surveyed and What the Researchers Wanted to Know
4. How the Survey Was Built and Distributed
5. Trained in Exercise, Unfamiliar With the Tests
6. Confidence Gaps in Aerobic and Resistance Training
7. What the Authors Could and Could Not Conclude
8. Key Takeaways
9. Post-Test and Course Evaluation

Quinn Millington, PT, DPT, ECS is the instructor of record: the licensed clinician who reviewed this course and signed off on it. The name and credentials print on the certificate.

Disclosures. This course was developed by The ConEd Solution, which has a financial interest in its sale. No outside funding or sponsorship was received. The instructor of record has no affiliation with the authors of the source publication or their institutions.

This course awards 0.5 contact hours (30 min). How you earn them:

1. Complete the course. Every lesson, in order.
2. Pass the post-test. Score 80% or higher. Retakes are allowed.
3. Complete the evaluation. A short form rating each learning objective and the course.
4. Download your certificate. It is issued on completion and stays available in My Account.

The episode time is its measured length. Reading, post-test and evaluation times are estimates.

This course is designed to satisfy the quality requirements state boards set for continuing education. Requirements vary by state, and confirming that a course fits your renewal is up to you. Each state’s own acceptance statement is in the credit panel on this page.

1. This course is based on a single peer-reviewed source:
2. Lopez G, Landino L, Faletra A, Maselli F, Dunning J, Young I, Giovannico G, Brindisino F, Feller D, Falla D, Mourad F. Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Italian Physiotherapists When Prescribing Exercise for People With Non-Specific Neck Pain: A National Survey. Musculoskeletal Care. 2025;23:e70115.
3. All findings, figures, and conclusions presented in this course come from that article. No claims have been added from other literature.