Manual Therapy for Chronic Neck Pain
(SS-MECH Trial)
Trial Summary
Will I have to stop taking my current medications?
The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. It's best to discuss this with the study team or your doctor.
What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Manual Therapy for Chronic Neck Pain?
Research shows that a single session of spinal manipulation, a type of manual therapy, can lead to immediate and clinically important pain relief for people with chronic neck pain. However, the evidence for other manual therapy techniques like mobilization is less strong, and there is not enough evidence to support the effectiveness of ischemic compression, massage, or manual traction for this condition.12345
Is manual therapy for neck pain safe?
How does manual therapy differ from other treatments for chronic neck pain?
Manual therapy, which includes techniques like spinal manipulation and mobilization, is unique because it can provide immediate pain relief in a single session, unlike other treatments that may require longer durations to show effects. It involves hands-on techniques to adjust and move the spine, which can lead to significant short-term improvements in pain levels.1241112
What is the purpose of this trial?
It is expected that different physical therapy treatments influence outcomes in many different ways. Each treatment is assumed to have a "specific" treatment mechanism, which explains how that specific treatment works. Different treatments also have "shared" mechanisms, which are similar across many different types of interventions (e.g., exercise, cognitive treatments or manual therapy). In this study, the study team will investigate the several types of specific treatment mechanisms of a manual therapy-based approach and an exercise-based approach and the study team will compare these to see if they are different. The patient population will include individuals with chronic neck pain, which is a condition that leads to notable disability and pain. The study team will also evaluate several shared treatment mechanisms to see if these are similar across the two treatments (e.g., manual therapy versus exercise). The study team expects to find that there are some specific treatment mechanisms with each approach (manual therapy versus exercise) but also several "shared" mechanisms that are similar across the two seemingly different approaches. These will likely influence the outcomes and may help explain why clinicians see similar outcomes across both treatment groups for chronic neck pain. This study is important because no one has investigated whether the outcomes that occur with chronic neck pain are mostly influenced by specific or shared treatment mechanisms. Interestingly, in the psychological literature, shared treatment mechanisms demonstrate the strongest influence (more than specific treatment mechanisms).
Research Team
Chad E Cook
Principal Investigator
Duke University
Eligibility Criteria
This trial is for adults 18 and older who have had neck pain rated at least a 3 out of 10 nearly every day for the past three months or more, without another diagnosis explaining the pain.Inclusion Criteria
Timeline
Screening
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial
Treatment
Participants receive either manual therapy or resistance exercise interventions for chronic neck pain
Follow-up
Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after treatment
Treatment Details
Interventions
- Manual Therapy
Find a Clinic Near You
Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?
Duke University
Lead Sponsor
The Medical University of South Carolina
Collaborator
University of Colorado - Anschutz Medical Campus
Collaborator
University of Colorado, Denver
Collaborator
Saint-Joseph University
Collaborator