Objective: To determine, whether 3-months of neck-specific exercises could benefit individuals with chronic whiplash-associated disorders (WAD) who were on a waiting list for treatment.Design: A prospective, randomized controlled study Setting: Primary health careParticipants: 41 individuals (31 women, 10 men; mean age=38 y, SD=11.2) with chronic (6 to 36 months) WAD, grades 2 and 3, were analyzed.Interventions: Patients were randomized to neck-specific exercises (NSE) or no treatment for 3 months.Main outcome measures: Neck-specific disability (Neck Disability Index; NDI), neck pain (Visual Analogue Scale), general pain-related disability (Pain Disability Index; PDI), selfperceived performance ability (the Self-Efficacy Scale; SES), and health-related quality of life (EuroQol five dimensions; EQ-5D) were measured.Results: NSE significantly improved the NDI, SES, and EQ5D compared to waiting list (<0.01). There was significant improvement (p<0.0001) over time in all outcomes for NSE, and, apart from the PDI, significant worsening (p=0.002 to 0.0002) over time for the untreated group.Conclusions: NSE were more beneficial than no intervention while on a waiting list for individuals with chronic WAD.