Effects of Craniosacral Therapy on Chronic Neck Pain (CranioS)

Universität Duisburg-Essen

Status: Completed

Conditions: Neck Pain

Treatments: Procedure: Craniosacral Therapy; Procedure: Sham Craniosacral Therapy

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01526447

11-4850

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this randomized controlled trial is to determinate the efficacy and safety of Craniosacral Therapy in the treatment of chronic unspecific neck pain.

Full description

Craniosacral Therapy (CST) is a variation of osteopathic manipulation with an integrative approach. By soft manual palpation of the craniosacral and fascia system sensory, motor, cognitive, and emotional processes can be influenced. In the prevention and treatment of chronic pain syndromes Craniosacral Therapy is demonstrated to be effective in clinical practice and quite a few scientific trials. But yet there are no randomized controlled studies concerning to chronic neck pain. So the aim of this study is to investigate whether a total of 8 CST units of 45 minutes will be effective in patients suffering from chronic nonspecific neck pain in contrast to sham therapy of the same extent. The prospective study design includes measurement points at baseline, post treatment, and 3 months follow-up.

Enrollment: 54 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 65 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Chronic unspecific neck pain for at least 3 months
• Mean neck pain of moderate intensity (>/=45mm on VAS)
• Therapy-naive subjects

Exclusion criteria

• Specific neck pain due to severe deformity of the spine, prolapse, rheumatic or neurological disorder, trauma, operation or cancer
• other severe somatic or psychiatric comorbidity
• pregnancy
• regular intake of opiates, corticosteroids (>10mg prednisolon), muscle relaxants or antidepressants
• recent invasive or manipulative treatment of the spine
• participation in other clinical trials

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Triple Blind

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54 participants in 2 patient groups

Craniosacral Therapy (CST)

Experimental group

Description:

Each participant of the experimental group receives 8 Craniosacral Therapy units once a week of 45 minutes.

Treatment:

Procedure: Craniosacral Therapy

Sham Craniosacral Therapy (SHAM)

Sham Comparator group

Description:

Each participant of the sham group receives 8 sham therapy units once a week of 45 minutes.

Treatment:

Procedure: Sham Craniosacral Therapy