Cognitive Functional Therapy (CFT) for chronic non-specific neck pain

Abstract This case report presents the effect of Cognitive Functional Therapy (CFT) in a patient with chronic non-specific neck pain. The patient believed that pain meant tissue damage, and demonstrated pain catastrophizing, hypervigilance, stress sensitivity, and movement impairment of the neck, during extension and rotation. The CFT intervention integrated a cognitive approach with manual therapy and active exercises to encourage the patient to trust her neck again. One month after the first appointment, the patient had recovered confidence, and the pain and disability had disappeared almost entirely.