Effectiveness and Cost-effectiveness of Doin (Conduction Exercise) for Chronic Neck Pain

A pilot multicenter randomized controlled, parallel, assessor-blinded trial will be conducted to evaluate the comparative clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Doin (conduction exercise) with acupuncture for chronic neck pain patients with acupuncture alone as assessed by pain and functional disability scales, monitor its safety, and assess the feasibility of and serve as the basis for a full-scale, multicenter trial.

Inclusion criteria

• Onset of at least 6 months previous for neck area pain
• Current neck area pain of Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) 5 or higher
• Patients who have agreed to voluntarily participate in the clinical trial and given written informed consent

Exclusion criteria

• Pathologies of non-spinal or soft tissue origin or high severity which may cause neck or radiating arm pain (e.g. malignant tumor, spinal infection, inflammatory spondylitis, fibromyalgia, rheumatic arthritis, gout)
• Progressive neurologic deficit or severe neurologic symptoms (e.g. cauda equina syndrome, progressive muscle weakness)
• Other chronic diseases which may interfere with treatment effect or interpretation of results (e.g. cardiovascular disorder, renal disease, diabetic neuropathy, dementia, epilepsy)
• Current intake of steroids, immunosuppressant medicine, psychiatric medicine or other medication which may interfere with treatment results
• Patients considered unsuitable or unsafe to receive acupuncture (e.g. patients with hemorrhagic diseases, blood clotting disorders, history of anti-coagulation medicine intake, severe diabetes with high risk of infection, severe cardiovascular diseases)
• Patients who were treated with invasive interventions such as acupuncture or injections, or with medicine that may potentially influence pain such as NSAIDs (nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs) within the past week
• History of cervical surgery within the past 3 months
• Pregnancy or plans of pregnancy
• Severe psychopathy
• Participation in other clinical studies
• Inability to give written informed consent
• Other reasons rendering trial participation inappropriate as judged by the researchers