Tuina for Patients With Chronic Neck Pain (tuina)

Charité University Medicine Berlin

Status

Completed

Conditions

Chronic Neck Pain

Treatments

Other: tuina

Other: no intervention

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT01923493

Tuina-13

Details and patient eligibility

About

The aim is to evaluate whether tuina is more effective and cost-effective than no intervention waiting list to reduce neck pain measured on a visual analogue scale in patients suffering from chronic neck pain.

Full description

Objective: To evaluate whether tuina is more effective and cost-effective than no intervention waiting list to reduce neck pain measured on a visual analogue scale in patients suffering from chronic neck pain.

Study Design: Open single-centre randomized two-armed controlled trial. Setting: The study will be performed at a University out-patient clinic specialized in Integrative Medicine, with experience in the treatment of chronic pain.

Participants: 88 outpatients with chronic neck pain, who will be randomly allocated to two groups (tuina, or no intervention (control)).

Intervention: Patients receive either six tuina treatments within 3 weeks or no additional intervention.

Main outcome measure: The primary outcome is the mean neck pain intensity over the last seven days on a visual analogue scale (Huskisson, 1974) (VAS, 0-100 mm, 0 = no pain, 100= worst imaginable pain) after four weeks.

Enrollment

92 patients

Sex

All

Ages

18 to 60 years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

female or male
18 to 60 years of age
clinical diagnosis "chronic neck pain", i.e. neck pain for at least 12 weeks
if additional back pain is reported, neck pain has to be predominant
intensity of the average neck pain over the last 7 days had to be more than 40 mm on a 100-mm visual analogue scale (VAS)
ability to give oral and signed written informed consent
patient's mental and physical ability to participate in the trial
willingness to be randomized, to attend visits, to complete questionnaires
written and oral informed consent

Exclusion criteria

neck pain caused by a malignant disease
neck pain caused by trauma
rheumatic disorder
prior spinal column surgery
neurological symptoms, e.g. radicular symptoms because of a prolapsed vertebral disc
suspected osteoporosis
obesity with BMI ≥30 Kg/m2
known vascular anomaly such as aneurysm
regular intake of analgesics (>1x per week) because of a additional diseases
intake of centrally acting analgesics
current application for a benefit
pregnancy
severe acute and or chronic disease which does not allow participation in the therapy
other limitations which do not allow participation in the therapy
alcohol or substance abuse
tuina treatment during the six months before study entry
participation in another clinical trial during six months before the study and parallel to the study
anticipated new treatments which have a positive influence on the neck pain such as physiotherapy against neck pain, acupuncture, massage during the study
no sufficient German language skills