Tuina for Patients With Chronic Neck Pain

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.

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