Neck pain is one of the most common problems affecting the health of Americans and is a leading reason for using complementary or alternative medical (CAM) therapies. Therapeutic massage is one of the most popular CAM treatments for neck pain, but little is known about its effectiveness. This study will lay the groundwork for a full-scale trial that evaluates the effectiveness of therapeutic massage for chronic neck pain. During Phase I of this project, we will develop and pre-test key components for such a randomized clinical trial. This will include specification of protocols in the massage and the comparison groups, development of a taxonomy that clearly and consistently describes the massage techniques used in this study, and specification of subject selection criteria. During Phase II, we will use the study components developed during Phase I to conduct a pilot trial evaluating the effectiveness and safety of massage for chronic neck pain. We will randomize 60 persons with chronic neck pain to therapeutic massage (n=30) or to a minimal self-care intervention (n=30). We will evaluate the effect of massage by comparing changes in symptoms, function, quality of life, and costs of back pain-related provider visits in these two groups midway through treatment, at the end of treatment, and at 6 months. The pilot study will permit us to identify and resolve unanticipated problems with the study design, outcomes measures, and treatment protocols; to estimate the samples sizes required for an adequately powered full-scale trial; to determine the corresponding recruitment period that would be required; and to obtain preliminary estimates of the effectiveness and safety of massage for chronic neck pain. At the conclusion of this project, we will be well-positioned to prepare a competitive grant proposal for a full-scale trial that evaluates the effectiveness of massage as a treatment for persons with chronic neck pain.
| Sherman, Karen J; Cherkin, Daniel C; Hawkes, Rene J et al. (2009) Randomized trial of therapeutic massage for chronic neck pain. Clin J Pain 25:233-8 |
| Sherman, Karen J; Dixon, Marian W; Thompson, Diana et al. (2006) Development of a taxonomy to describe massage treatments for musculoskeletal pain. BMC Complement Altern Med 6:24 |
