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Massage for Neck Pain

N/A
Recruiting
Research Sponsored by University of Florida
Eligibility Criteria Checklist
Specific guidelines that determine who can or cannot participate in a clinical trial
Must have
Be between 18 and 65 years old
Timeline
Screening 3 weeks
Treatment Varies
Follow Up baseline and immediately following the intervention
Awards & highlights
No Placebo-Only Group

Summary

"This trial wants to see if how sensitive you are to pain at the beginning can predict how much pain relief you'll get from a massage that causes pain. They also want to compare the pain relief from

Who is the study for?
This trial is for individuals aged 18 to 60 who have been experiencing neck pain for at least three months, with a pain intensity of at least 4 out of 10 in the last day. It's not suitable for those with arm pain or other conditions that might affect their response to massage.
What is being tested?
The study aims to see if how much pressure causes someone pain can predict relief from a painful massage and compares this relief to that from a non-painful massage or placing one's hand in cold water. Participants are randomly assigned to one of these three interventions.
What are the potential side effects?
Potential side effects may include temporary increased neck discomfort, especially after the pain inducing massage. The cold water bath could cause brief numbness or tingling in the hand.

Timeline

Screening ~ 3 weeks
Treatment ~ Varies
Follow Up ~baseline, immediately following intervention
This trial's timeline: 3 weeks for screening, Varies for treatment, and baseline, immediately following intervention for reporting.

Treatment Details

Study Objectives

Study objectives can provide a clearer picture of what you can expect from a treatment.
Primary study objectives
Pressure Pain Threshold
Secondary study objectives
Numeric Pain Rating Scale Movement Evoked Pain
Numeric Pain Rating Scale Resting Pain

Awards & Highlights

No Placebo-Only Group
All patients enrolled in this study will receive some form of active treatment.

Trial Design

3Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Active Control
Group I: Pain Inducing MassageExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
Participants will receive 60 seconds of manual pressure applied to one point in their neck followed by 30 seconds of complete pressure release 4 times for a total contact time of 240 seconds. Pressure will be applied such that the participant rates the pain = 5/10 on an 11-point numeric pain rating scale with 0 indicating no pain and 10 indicating the most severe pain imaginable.
Group II: Cold Water BathActive Control1 Intervention
Participants will place their non-dominant hand into water cooled by a refrigeration unit (NESLAB RTE 7 Digital One, Thermo Scientific Co., Massachusetts, USA) that circulates water continuously to maintain a constant temperature of 6 degrees Celsius (males) or 8 degrees Celsius (females). The participant will place his or her hand in the cooled water for 60 seconds followed by a 30 second break in which the participant will remove his or her hand from the water. This will occur 4 times for a total immersion time of 240 seconds.
Group III: Pain Free MassageActive Control1 Intervention
Participants will receive 60 seconds of manual pressure applied to one point in their neck followed by 30 seconds of complete pressure release 4 times for a total contact time of 240 seconds. Pressure will be applied such that the participant rates the pain = 0/10 on an 11-point numeric pain rating scale with 0 indicating no pain and 10 indicating the most severe pain imaginable.
Treatment
First Studied
Drug Approval Stage
How many patients have taken this drug
Pain Inducing Massage
2018
N/A
~150

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Who is running the clinical trial?

University of FloridaLead Sponsor
1,409 Previous Clinical Trials
767,500 Total Patients Enrolled
4 Trials studying Neck Pain
1,529 Patients Enrolled for Neck Pain
~14 spots leftby Mar 2025