Move sooner, heal faster? new study tests early PT after neck surgery

NCT ID NCT06202443

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study looks at whether starting physical therapy soon after neck surgery (ACDF) helps people recover better than waiting. About 76 adults who had surgery for a worn-down neck will be split into two groups: one starts PT right away, the other later. Researchers will measure pain, disability, and function to see which group does better.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 76 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Feb 2024

Expected to finish

Jul 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 75 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Surgical treatment of a cervical degenerative condition using a 1- or 2-level ACDF procedure; * English speaking due to feasibility of employing study personnel to deliver and assess the study intervention; and * Age 18-75 years of age (individuals older than 75 are more likely to experience respiratory and nervous system complications and death following ACDF) Exclusion Criteria: * Surgery secondary to trauma, fracture, tumor, infection, or spinal deformity; * Undergoing cervical corpectomy; * Prior history of cervical spine surgery in last 5 years; * Diagnosis or presence of osteoporosis; * Diagnosis or presence of severe psychiatric disorder such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder; * Documented history of alcohol and/or drug abuse; * Currently involved in litigation due to injury; * Currently undergoing treatment for cancer; * Patients not able to return for follow-up visits due to time and travel limitation or other reasons; and * Unable to provide a stable telephone or physical address

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    4 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Booke Army Medical Center

    RECRUITING

    Fort Sam Houston, Texas, 78234, United States

  • Madigan Army Medical Center

    RECRUITING

    Tacoma, Washington, 98431, United States

  • Tripler Army Medical Center

    RECRUITING

    Honolulu, Hawaii, 96859, United States

  • Vanderbilt University Medical Center

    RECRUITING

    Nashville, Tennessee, 37203, United States

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