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Feasibility and Safety: 33 enrolled patients completed the 2-week intervention without any treatment-related adverse events. The overall adherence rate was 100%, with no missed treatment sessions. All therapists implemented the protocol consistently, in accordance with the standardized procedures and symptom- and irritability-based adjustment guidelines, confirming the protocol's clinical applicability and reproducibility.
Baseline Characteristics: No significant differences were observed between the MMT group (n = 16) and the MMT-NDT group (n = 17) at baseline in age, sex, symptom duration, or affected side (P > 0.05), indicating comparability between groups (Table 1). The tables below present aggregate group data from all enrolled participants.
Cervical ROM: At baseline, there were no significant differences between groups in cervical ROM across all directions (P > 0.05). After 2 weeks of treatment, both groups showed statistically significant differences in cervical ROM compared with baseline (P < 0.05) (Table 2). The MMT-NDT group (n = 17) demonstrated significantly greater improvements than the MMT group (n = 16) in all measured directions, including flexion, extension, bilateral lateral flexion, and bilateral rotation (P < 0.05).
VAS: There was no significant difference in VAS scores between the two groups at baseline (P = 0.339). Following the 2-week intervention, VAS scores significantly decreased in both groups compared with baseline (P < 0.05). The reduction in pain intensity was greater in the MMT-NDT group (0.76 ± 0.75) than in the MMT group (2.19 ± 0.98) (P < 0.001) (Table 3).
NDI: Baseline NDI scores did not differ significantly between the two groups (P > 0.05). After treatment, both groups demonstrated significant improvements in NDI scores (P < 0.05). The MMT-NDT group showed a significantly greater reduction in disability compared with the MMT group (P < 0.05) (Table 4).

Figure 1. CONSORT flow diagram showing participant enrollment, allocation, follow-up, and analysis. A total of 33 participants diagnosed with cervical radiculopathy were enrolled and randomized into two groups. No participants were excluded, and all completed follow-up and were included in the final analysis. Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
| Group | | MMT group | MMT + NDT group | P value |
| sex | | | | 0.849 |
| Male | 9 | 9 | |
| Female | 7 | 8 | |
| Age (years, mean ± SD) | | 49.50 ± 9.19 | 49.35 ± 9.05 | 0.963 |
| Duration (weeks, mean ± SD) | | 15.56 ± 19.52 | 14.59 ± 18.37 | 0.884 |
| CR direction | | | | 0.62 |
| Left | 9 | 11 | |
| Right | 7 | 6 | |
Table 1: Baseline Characteristics of the Two Groups. Note: MMT: McKenzie Mechanical Therapy; NDT: Neurodynamic Treatment; CR: cervical radiculopathy.
| Emotion Category (Navarasa stimuli) | Mean T0 | Mean Tmax | Mean Difference | p-value |
| Neutral – Shanta | 0.24 | 0.29 | 0.047 | <0.001 |
| Pleasant (Haasya, Veera, Shringara, Adbhuta) | 0.034 | 0.045 | 0.011 | <0.001 |
| Unpleasant (Krodha, Vibhitsa, Bhayanaka, Karuna) | 0.054 | 0.068 | 0.014 | <0.001 |
Table 2: Comparison of Cervical Range of Motion Before and After Treatment Between the Two Groups. Note: Post-intervention between-group effect sizes for all measures: Cohen's d = 1.10–1.77, all 95% CIs exclude zero. MMT: McKenzie Mechanical Therapy; NDT: Neurodynamic Treatment. ap < 0.05 vs. pre-treatment bp < 0.05 vs. MMT group.
| Group | N | Pre-treatment | Post-treatment |
| MMT group | 16 | 4.56 ± 1.09 | 2.19 ± 0.98a |
| MMT + NDT group | 17 | 4.94 ± 1.14 | 0.76 ± 0.75a |
| t value | | 0.971 | −4.692 |
| p value | | 0.339 | < 0.001 |
Table 3: Comparison of Pain Intensity (VAS Scores) Before and After Treatment Between the Two Groups. Note: Post-intervention between-group effect size for VAS: Cohen's d = −1.65, 95% CI −2.44 to −0.86, VAS: Visual Analog Scale, MMT: McKenzie Mechanical Therapy; NDT: Neurodynamic Treatment, ap < 0.05 vs. pre-treatment
| Group | N | Pre-treatment | Post-treatment |
| MMT group | 16 | 4.56 ± 1.09 | 2.19 ± 0.98a |
| MMT + NDT group | 17 | 4.94 ± 1.14 | 0.76 ± 0.75a |
| t value | | 0.971 | −4.692 |
| p value | | 0.339 | < 0.001 |
Table 4: Comparison of Neck Disability Index (NDI) Scores Before and After Treatment Between the Two Groups.