NCT01233180

Brief Summary

Gua Sha massage is a traditional chinese medical treatment. It is mostly used in the treatment of the common cold and pain syndromes. Gua Sha involves pressuring the skin by a round-edged instrument until small petechiae appear. This so called "sha", considered as the removal of blood stasis by traditional practitioners, will fade within a few days. Normally, this treatment is not considered as painful, but as relaxing and easing tense muscles. In this study, the investigators will investigate the effectivity of Gua Sha massage in treating chronic neck pain. The investigators will research effects on subjective pain intensity, neck pain specific disability and haptic perception.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
50

participants targeted

Target at P25-P50 for not_applicable

Timeline
Completed

Started Sep 2010

Shorter than P25 for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
completed

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

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Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Start

First participant enrolled

September 1, 2010

Completed
2 months until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

November 2, 2010

Completed
1 day until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

November 3, 2010

Completed
3 months until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

February 1, 2011

Completed
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

February 1, 2011

Completed
Last Updated

February 23, 2011

Status Verified

February 1, 2011

Enrollment Period

5 months

First QC Date

November 2, 2010

Last Update Submit

February 22, 2011

Conditions

Keywords

neck painmassagehyperthermia, inducedtouch perceptionrandomized controlled trial

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Neck pain intensity (100mm visual analog scale)

    Day 4

Secondary Outcomes (2)

  • Neck disability index (NDI)

    Day 4

  • Haptic perception

    Day 4

Study Arms (2)

Gua Sha

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Single Gua Sha treatment of the neck and shoulder region.

Other: Gua Sha

Thermotherapy

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Single use of a mud heat pad on the neck and shoulder region.

Device: Thermotherapy

Interventions

Gua ShaOTHER

Single Gua Sha treatment of the neck and shoulder region

Gua Sha

Single use of a mud heat pad on the neck and shoulder region

Thermotherapy

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years - 75 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • Chronic mechanical neck pain, at least 40 mm on a 100mm visual analog scale.
  • Pain for at least 3 months.

You may not qualify if:

  • radicular symptoms
  • congenital spine deformity
  • pregnancy
  • rheumatic diseases
  • oncologic diseases
  • other severe psychiatric or somatic comorbidity
  • recent invasive or surgical treatment of the spine
  • participation in other studies
  • skin diseases in the area to be treated

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Kliniken Essen-Mitte, Knappschafts-Krankenhaus, Department for Internal and Integrative Medicine

Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, 45276, Germany

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Neck PainHyperthermia

Interventions

Hyperthermia, Induced

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

PainNeurologic ManifestationsSigns and SymptomsPathological Conditions, Signs and SymptomsBody Temperature ChangesHeat Stress DisordersWounds and Injuries

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Therapeutics

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
NONE
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

November 2, 2010

First Posted

November 3, 2010

Study Start

September 1, 2010

Primary Completion

February 1, 2011

Study Completion

February 1, 2011

Last Updated

February 23, 2011

Record last verified: 2011-02

Locations