The Effect of 5 Times Dry Cupping in the Treatment of Chronic Neck Pain
CompletedNot applicableNCT01289964
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This study has no listed site in Canada in this snapshot. It is included as part of the worldwide chronic pain corpus.
Brief summary (from the registry)
The study aims to investigate the influence of 5 dry cupping treatments on chronic non specific neck pain. 50 patients with neck pain are randomised into cupping treatment and waiting list control group at T0 (Day 0). At T1 (Day 7)the investigators evaluate the neck pain (VAS), the neck related disability (NDI), pain related to movement (PRTM) and the quality of life (SF36). To investigate neurophysiological effects of cupping we also measure mechanical detection threshold (MDT), vibration detection threshold (VDT) and pressure pain threshold (PPT) at pain related and control areas. The treatment group then receives 5 cupping treatments over a period of two weeks. After the cupping series resp. a waiting period for the waiting list control group (T2, Day 25) all measurements from T1 are repeated (VAS, NDI, PRTM, SF36, MDT, PPT, VDT). At last, a pain and medication diary is filled in by the patients from T0(Day 0) until T2 (Day 25). The investigators hypothesize, that cupping treatment is effective against neck pain (diary, VAS, NDI, PRTM, SF36) and that it leads to changes on perceptual level (MDT, VDT, PPT), when compared to the waiting list control group.
Study details
- Official title
- Randomised Controlled Pilot Study: the Effect of Dry Cupping on Pain and Sensory Thresholds in the Treatment of Chronic Non Specific Neck Pain
- Conditions
- Neck Pain
- Neck Pain Musculoskeletal
- Mechanical/Motor Problems With Neck and Trunk
- Interventions
- Procedure: Dry Cupping or fire cupping
- Sponsor
- Universität Duisburg-Essen
- Start date
- 2009-07
- Primary completion
- 2009-12
- Sex
- All
- Age range
- from 18 Years to 75 Years
- Results posted
- No results posted in this snapshot
- Countries
- Germany
- Total sites listed
- 1
Eligibility criteria
Show eligibility criteria (verbatim from the registry)
Inclusion Criteria: * age between 18 and 75 * permanent neck pain for at least three months in a row * a minimum of 40mm of neck pain on a 100mm visual analogue scale (VAS) * having been in treatment to an orthopaedic or to a neurologist Exclusion Criteria: * neck pain caused by trauma, inflammatory or malignant disease, by congenital malformation of the spine or if pain was accompanied by radicular symptoms such as radiating pain, paresis, prickling or tingling. * invasive treatments within the last 4 weeks, surgery to the spine within the last year, corticosteroid or opioid treatment. * serious acute or chronic organic disease such as diabetes or cancer, mental disorders, pregnancy, and haemorrhagic tendency or anticoagulation treatment. * non steroidal pain medication and physiotherapy were allowed if the treatment regimen was not altered for four weeks before and continued during the study.
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov (US National Library of Medicine), snapshot October 2026. Check the registry for current recruiting status. Record: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT01289964