Effects of Gua Sha and Thermotherapy on Chronic Neck Pain

Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Gua Sha Massage and Thermotherapy for Chronic Neck Pain: Effects on Pain Intensity, Haptic Perception and Body Image.

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT01233180

Enrollment

Registered

2010-11-03

Start date

2010-09-30

Completion date

2011-02-28

Last updated

2011-02-23

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Neck Pain

Keywords

neck pain, massage, hyperthermia, induced, touch perception, randomized controlled trial

Brief summary

Gua Sha massage is a traditional chinese medical treatment. It is mostly used in the treatment of the common cold and pain syndromes. Gua Sha involves pressuring the skin by a round-edged instrument until small petechiae appear. This so called sha, considered as the removal of blood stasis by traditional practitioners, will fade within a few days. Normally, this treatment is not considered as painful, but as relaxing and easing tense muscles. In this study, the investigators will investigate the effectivity of Gua Sha massage in treating chronic neck pain. The investigators will research effects on subjective pain intensity, neck pain specific disability and haptic perception.

Interventions

OTHERGua Sha

Single Gua Sha treatment of the neck and shoulder region

DEVICEThermotherapy

Single use of a mud heat pad on the neck and shoulder region

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to 75 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Chronic mechanical neck pain, at least 40 mm on a 100mm visual analog scale. * Pain for at least 3 months.

Exclusion criteria

* radicular symptoms * congenital spine deformity * pregnancy * rheumatic diseases * oncologic diseases * other severe psychiatric or somatic comorbidity * recent invasive or surgical treatment of the spine * participation in other studies * skin diseases in the area to be treated

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Neck pain intensity (100mm visual analog scale)	Day 4

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Neck disability index (NDI)	Day 4	The Neck Disability Index is an instrument to assess neck pain complaints. Reference: Vernon H, Mior S. The Neck Disability Index: a study of reliability and validity. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 1991;14:409-415.
Haptic perception	Day 4	The design consists of two angle legs, of which one angle leg has to be readjusted to a given angle adjustment. This is done by haptic perception without visual feedback. The deviation of the adjusted angle from the locked angle is measured. Reference: Grunwald, M., Ettich, C., Busse, F., Assmann, B., Dähne, A., Gertz, H.-J., (2002): Angle paradigm: A new method to measure right parietal dysfunctions in anorexia nervosa. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology , 17, pp. 485- 496

Countries

Germany

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026