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Completed

NCT Number: NCT02222051

Tai Chi for Chronic Non-specific Neck Pain

In this study the efficacy of Tai Chi will be tested in comparison to conventional neck exercises and usual care in a randomized controlled trial. Tai Chi and neck exercises will be lead by a trained exercise therapist and Tai Chi instructor, both groups receive 12 weeks of training, once weekly for 60-90 min in a group setting. Pain, Disability, quality of life, wellbeing, stress perception, psychological distress will be used to determine effects.

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Key information

Conditions

Neck Pain Chronic Pain Neurologic Manifestations Pain Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Department of Internal and Integrative Medicine, Kliniken Essen-Mitte

Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, 45276, Germany

About this study

see above

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • chronic non specific neck pain (3 months at least)
  • 45mm pain intensity on average on the visual analog scale

Exclusion criteria

  • specific neck pain due to
  • inflammatory diseases
  • rheumatic diseases
  • neurological diseases
  • prolapse or protrusion
  • oncological disease
  • trauma (whiplash)
  • congenital deformity of the spine
  • severe comorbidity (somatic, psychiatric)
  • pregnancy
  • participation in other clinical trials
  • regular practice of tai chi, qigong, yoga in the past 6 months
  • medication with opioids

Treatment and study plan

Tai Chi

Behavioral

traditional chinese martial art meditative movement technique

Other names: Taiji, T'ai Chi

Neck exercises

Behavioral

group exercises for strengthening and stretching neck and back muslces to alleviate neck pain

Other names: neck training

Primary outcomes

  1. pain intensity

    Time frame: week 12

    pain intensity on a visual analogue scale (0-100mm)

Secondary outcomes

  1. pain intensity

    Time frame: week 24

    pain intensity on a visual analogue scale (0-100mm)

  2. pain on movement

    Time frame: week 12, week 24

    pain intensity on a visual analogue scale (0-100mm) evoked by head movement into 6 directions POM validated by Lauche et al., 2014, Pain Medicine

  3. neck disability

    Time frame: week 12, week 24

    neck disability index (NDI), Vernon et al.

  4. health related quality of life

    Time frame: week 12, week 24

    short form quality of life questionnaire (SF-36), Bullinger and Kirchberger

  5. Anxiety and Depression

    Time frame: week 12, week 24

    Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)

  6. Wellbeing

    Time frame: week 12, week 24

    Wellbeing on the FEW16 Questionnaire

  7. Stress

    Time frame: week 12, week 24

    Subjective stress perception, Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)

  8. interoceptive awareness

    Time frame: week 12, week 24

    The Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA)

  9. Postural Awareness

    Time frame: week 12, week 24

    Postural Awareness Questionnaire (PAS)

  10. Safety

    Time frame: week 24

    All adverse and serious adverse events

  11. pain intensity ratings

    Time frame: week 12

    daily rating of pain intensity, visual analog scales

  12. use of analgetics

    Time frame: week 12

    daily information on use of analgetics

  13. use of concomitant therapies

    Time frame: week 12

    daily information on use of concomitant therapies for neck pain

Other outcomes

  1. Experiences

    Time frame: Week 24

    Experiences with Tai Chi and neck exercises, qualitative interviews

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Universität Duisburg-Essen

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Tai Chi for Chronic Non-specific Neck Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Acronym: TaiChiNe

Important dates

Study start
2014
Primary completion
2014
Study completion
2015
First posted
Aug 21, 2014
Registry last updated
May 2, 2018

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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