Comparative Effectiveness and Cost-effectiveness of Chuna Manual Therapy for Chronic Neck Pain

Comparative Effectiveness and Cost-effectiveness of Chuna Manual Therapy for Chronic Neck Pain: A Multi-center Randomized Controlled Trial

A multi-center randomized controlled trial assessing the comparative effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Chuna manual therapy for chronic neck pain

A multi-center randomized controlled, parallel, assessor-blinded trial will be conducted to evaluate the comparative clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Chuna manual therapy for chronic neck pain patients compared to usual care as assessed using pain, functional disability, health-related quality of life, economic evaluation, and safety measures.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Chronic neck pain patients (with pain duration of 3 months or longer)
• Patients with numeric rating scale (NRS) of radicular pain ≤ neck pain in neck pain patients with or without radiculopathy
• Patients with NRS of neck pain ≥5 during the 3 days
• Patients who have agreed to trial participation and provided written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients diagnosed with serious pathology(s) which may cause neck pain (e.g. spinal metastasis of tumor(s), acute fracture, spinal dislocation)
• Patients with history of neck surgery
• Patients with other chronic disease(s) which may interfere with treatment effect, safety, or interpretation of outcomes (e.g. chronic renal failure, vertebral artery complications, rheumatoid arthritis, Down syndrome)
• Patients with progressive neurologic deficit or severe neurologic symptoms such as spinal cord injury
• Patients with severe mental illness
• Patients currently taking steroids, immunosuppressants, medicine for mental illness or other medication(s) that may interfere with study results
• Patients who have received Chuna manual therapy or physical therapy, medicine such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), or treatment(s) that may influence pain within the past week
• Pregnant patients or patients with plans of pregnancy
• Patients participating in other clinical studies or otherwise deemed unsuitable by the researchers