Does the Addition of Massage to Manual Therapy and Exercise Improve Outcome in Chronic Neck Pain?

Society of Musculoskeletal Medicine

Status: Completed

Conditions: Neck Pain

Treatments: Other: massage

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02313480

RM01

Details and patient eligibility

About

To date, the benefits of massage in chronic neck pain patients has only been investigated as a singular treatment, rather than as part of a treatment package. The need for this research has been highlighted in the literature (Ezzo et al, 2007; Haraldsson et al, 2006) This research aimed to establish whether the addition of massage to a program of exercise and manual therapy offers any additional benefits over exercise and manual therapy alone in the treatment of patients with chronic neck pain.

Full description

39 patients with neck pain of greater than three months duration were randomised to either a massage or non-massage group in a primary care setting in the Dublin region. One therapist administered all treatments. Randomisation was carried out by the use of sequential sampling, utilising permuted blocks. Patients were excluded from the study if they had severe co-existing disease, had neck pain due to fracture, tumour, infection or other non-mechanical causes, or if the patient had a diagnosis of osteoporosis anywhere in the body.

Both groups underwent up to eight weekly physiotherapy sessions. The non-massage group received exercise, manual therapy and advice over the 30 minute intervention period, in conjunction with an exercise program to perform at home. The massage group received all of the above as well as Swedish massage. Follow up was for the duration of treatment only.

A number of T-tests and non-parametric tests were conducted to establish if the two groups were comparable at baseline.

A mixed ANOVA was then used to analyse between-group and within-group data simultaneously. No blinding was possible, although the questionnaires were self-administered which may have limited bias.

Enrollment: 39 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• neck pain for greater than three months
• over 18 years of age
• had not received treatment for their neck pain in the previous month
• could speak conversational English
• were not involved in any current compensation case and
• had provided written, informed consent.

Exclusion criteria

• severe co-existing disease,
• neck pain due to fracture, tumour, infection or other non-mechanical causes,
• if the patient had a diagnosis of osteoporosis anywhere in the body.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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39 participants in 2 patient groups

non-massage group

Active Comparator group

Description:

received exercise, manual therapy and advice over the 30 minute intervention period, in conjunction with an exercise program to perform at home.

Treatment:

Other: massage

massage group

Experimental group

Description:

Received massage, exercise, manual therapy and advice over the 30 minute intervention period, in conjunction with an exercise program to perform at home.

Treatment:

Other: massage