Vacuum Massage vs Tactile Massage for the Treatment of Chronic Neck Pain
RecruitingNot applicableNCT07120659
View the official record on ClinicalTrials.gov Recruiting status changes often. Contact the study team listed on ClinicalTrials.gov, and talk to your doctor before joining a study.
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)
Chronic pain significantly impacts individuals and society, with about 30% of Norwegian adults affected, making it the leading cause of long-term sick leave and disability benefits. Concerns over addiction to pain medications highlight the need for non-pharmacological treatments, though many such therapies, often complementary or alternative, are not widely available in conventional healthcare. Unclear biomechanisms of these therapies pose challenges for clinical trials and acceptance. This pilot study aims to explore the effects of two types of massage-cupping massage (CM, intense) and tactile massage (TM, soft)-on chronic neck pain, focusing on their mechanisms of action. Quantitative sensory testing (QST) will be used as a biomarker to assess changes in the pain pathway. A previous feasibility study on CM and QST conducted in Germany informs this research. The study will recruit 60 patients with chronic neck pain, randomized to CM or TM, with six weekly treatment sessions. QST will be measured before and after treatment to understand therapy-induced changes in the pain pathway. Findings will help tailor massage therapies to individual needs, improve clinical trial quality, and promote the integration of non-pharmacological treatments into conventional care, benefiting a large population in need.
Study details
- Official title
- Vacuum Massage vs Tactile Massage for the Treatment of Chronic Neck Pain: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study Investigating Pain Mechanisms.
- Conditions
- Interventions
- Other: soft touch massage
- Other: vacuum massage
- Sponsor
- University of Tromso
- Start date
- 2025-10-27
- Primary completion
- 2027-12-31
- Sex
- All
- Age range
- from 21 Years to 75 Years
- Results posted
- No results posted in this snapshot
- Countries
- Norway
- Total sites listed
- 1
Eligibility criteria
Show eligibility criteria (verbatim from the registry)
Inclusion Criteria: * suffer from non-specific neck pain persisting at least 3 months * mean pain intensity ≥ 50 on a 0-100 mm visual analogue scale (NRS) with "0" meaning "no pain" and "100" meaning "worst pain imaginable" Exclusion Criteria: * neurological symptoms * having had a vertebral column surgery less than 12 months prior to the study, * have received TENS, acupuncture, osteopathy, or a chiropractic maneuver or infiltration at the area within 4 weeks prior to the inclusion in the study * suffer from a congenital deformation of the spine.
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov (US National Library of Medicine), snapshot October 2026. Check the registry for current recruiting status. Record: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07120659