effectiveness of an educational and physical programme in reducing headache neck and shoulder pain a workplace controlled trial this study was an 8month controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a workplace educational and physical programme in reducing headache and neck and shoulder pain central registry office employees n 192 study group and 192 peripheral registry office and central tax office employees controls in the city of turin italy were given diaries for the daily recording of pain episodes after 2 months the study group only began the educational and physical programme the primary endpoint was the change in frequency of headache and neck and shoulder pain expressed as the number of days per month with pain and as the proportion of subjects with a or 50 reduction of frequency responder rate the number of days of analgesic drug consumption was also recorded diaries completed for the whole 8 months were available for 169 subjects in the study group and 175 controls the baseline frequency of headache days per month was 587 and 630 in the study group and in controls frequency of neck and shoulder pain was 712 and 779 respectively mean treatment effects days per month 95 confidence interval ci on comparing the last 2 months vs baseline were headache frequency 245 348 143 frequency of neck pain 262 409 116 responder rates odds ratio 95 ci 551 275 11 for headache 310 165 581 for neck and shoulder pain and 308 106 890 for days with analgesic drug consumption the study suggests that an educational and physical programme reduces headache and neck and shoulder pain in a working community