Effects of Thermotherapy on Chronic Neck Pain

Universität Duisburg-Essen

Status: Completed

Conditions: Neck Pain

Treatments: Procedure: Thermotherapy

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01304368

09-3953

Details and patient eligibility

About

Chronic neck pain is a common worldwide problem. In the majority of cases, patients are treated by medication, referral to a physiotherapist or thermotherapy. Thermotherapy - the therapeutic application of topical heat - provides an easy to apply self-help strategy in patients with chronic neck pain. However, despite the frequent use in clinical practice, there is no research regarding this topic yet.

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether thermotherapy self-treatment for chronic neck pain induces changes in perceived pain intensity and in sensory processing.

Enrollment: 50 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• non-specific neck pain the last 3 months
• mean pain intensity of at least 4 on a 10-level numerical rating scale with "0" meaning "no pain" and "10" meaning "worst pain imaginable"

Exclusion criteria

• radicular symptoms
• congenital spine deformity
• skin diseases in the painful area to be treated
• pregnancy
• insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus
• rheumatic diseases
• oncologic diseases
• steroid medication
• anticoagulation medication
• recent invasive or surgical treatment of the spine

Trial design

50 participants in 2 patient groups

Thermotherapy

Active Comparator group

Description:

Patients are instructed to heat a moor mud filled heat pad (beinio®therm, bb med. product GmbH, Kalkar (Kehrum), Germany) to a hot, but tolerable temperature and to apply it over the painful area once a day for 20 minutes during a period of 14 days. Patients are instructed to continue their usual medication - including analgesic drugs - and physiotherapy (massages and exercise) during the study period.

Treatment:

Procedure: Thermotherapy

Waiting list

No Intervention group

Description:

Patients are instructed to continue their usual medication - including analgesic drugs - and physiotherapy (massages and exercise) during the study period.