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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2014 Mar-Apr;12(2):112-20.
doi: 10.1370/afm.1602.

Five-week outcomes from a dosing trial of therapeutic massage for chronic neck pain

Karen J Sherman  1 , Andrea J Cook, Robert D Wellman, Rene J Hawkes, Janet R Kahn, Richard A Deyo, Daniel C Cherkin
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Five-week outcomes from a dosing trial of therapeutic massage for chronic neck pain

Karen J Sherman et al. Ann Fam Med. 2014 Mar-Apr.

Abstract

Purpose: This trial was designed to evaluate the optimal dose of massage for individuals with chronic neck pain.

Methods: We recruited 228 individuals with chronic nonspecific neck pain from an integrated health care system and the general population, and randomized them to 5 groups receiving various doses of massage (a 4-week course consisting of 30-minute visits 2 or 3 times weekly or 60-minute visits 1, 2, or 3 times weekly) or to a single control group (a 4-week period on a wait list). We assessed neck-related dysfunction with the Neck Disability Index (range, 0-50 points) and pain intensity with a numerical rating scale (range, 0-10 points) at baseline and 5 weeks. We used log-linear regression to assess the likelihood of clinically meaningful improvement in neck-related dysfunction (≥5 points on Neck Disability Index) or pain intensity (≥30% improvement) by treatment group.

Results: After adjustment for baseline age, outcome measures, and imbalanced covariates, 30-minute treatments were not significantly better than the wait list control condition in terms of achieving a clinically meaningful improvement in neck dysfunction or pain, regardless of the frequency of treatments. In contrast, 60-minute treatments 2 and 3 times weekly significantly increased the likelihood of such improvement compared with the control condition in terms of both neck dysfunction (relative risk = 3.41 and 4.98, P = .04 and .005, respectively) and pain intensity (relative risk = 2.30 and 2.73; P = .007 and .001, respectively).

Conclusions: After 4 weeks of treatment, we found multiple 60-minute massages per week more effective than fewer or shorter sessions for individuals with chronic neck pain. Clinicians recommending massage and researchers studying this therapy should ensure that patients receive a likely effective dose of treatment.

Keywords: chronic neck pain; clinical trial; complementary and alternative medicine; disability; holistic medicine; massage; pain management.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Trial flow. a Most common reasons for ineligibility: 237 (32.6%) insufficient neck pain; 176 (24.6%) neck pain too complex; 74 (10.2%) prior massage; 140 (19.2%) could not attend treatment clinics.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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