The Effect of 5 Times Dry Cupping in the Treatment of Chronic Neck Pain (TS)

Universität Duisburg-Essen

Status

Completed

Conditions

Mechanical/Motor Problems With Neck and Trunk

Neck Pain Musculoskeletal

Neck Pain

Treatments

Procedure: Dry Cupping or fire cupping

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT01289964

DryCupping2009

Details and patient eligibility

About

The study aims to investigate the influence of 5 dry cupping treatments on chronic non specific neck pain. 50 patients with neck pain are randomised into cupping treatment and waiting list control group at T0 (Day 0). At T1 (Day 7)the investigators evaluate the neck pain (VAS), the neck related disability (NDI), pain related to movement (PRTM) and the quality of life (SF36). To investigate neurophysiological effects of cupping we also measure mechanical detection threshold (MDT), vibration detection threshold (VDT) and pressure pain threshold (PPT) at pain related and control areas. The treatment group then receives 5 cupping treatments over a period of two weeks. After the cupping series resp. a waiting period for the waiting list control group (T2, Day 25) all measurements from T1 are repeated (VAS, NDI, PRTM, SF36, MDT, PPT, VDT). At last, a pain and medication diary is filled in by the patients from T0(Day 0) until T2 (Day 25). The investigators hypothesize, that cupping treatment is effective against neck pain (diary, VAS, NDI, PRTM, SF36) and that it leads to changes on perceptual level (MDT, VDT, PPT), when compared to the waiting list control group.

Full description

see above

Enrollment

50 patients

Sex

All

Ages

18 to 75 years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

age between 18 and 75
permanent neck pain for at least three months in a row
a minimum of 40mm of neck pain on a 100mm visual analogue scale (VAS)
having been in treatment to an orthopaedic or to a neurologist

Exclusion criteria

neck pain caused by trauma, inflammatory or malignant disease, by congenital malformation of the spine or if pain was accompanied by radicular symptoms such as radiating pain, paresis, prickling or tingling.
invasive treatments within the last 4 weeks, surgery to the spine within the last year, corticosteroid or opioid treatment.
serious acute or chronic organic disease such as diabetes or cancer, mental disorders, pregnancy, and haemorrhagic tendency or anticoagulation treatment.
non steroidal pain medication and physiotherapy were allowed if the treatment regimen was not altered for four weeks before and continued during the study.