Strain-counterstrain to treat restrictions of the mobility of the cervical spine - a randomized trial

Not Applicable

• Conditions: M54.2; Cervicalgia

• Registration Number: DRKS00000691
• Lead Sponsor: Institut für AllgemeinmedizinKlinikum rechts der Isar der TU München

Brief Summary

Objective: Strain-counterstrain is an osteopathic technique which is widely used for treating mobility restrictions in the neck. We aimed to investigate whether a single strain-counterstrain intervention is more effective than a sham intervention in improving restricted cervical range of motion in patients with neck pain. Methods: 61 adult patients with neck pain and restricted cervical mobility were randomly allocated to receive either a single strain-counterstrain intervention or a sham treatment. After outcome measurement all patients received full individualized osteopathic treatment. Mobility of the cervical spine was measured by a blinded observer using the Cervical Range of Motion (CROM) tool. In addition, patients rated pain intensity and assessed the treatment effect. The main outcome measure was the sum of changes in mobility restriction (in %) after treatment compared to normal mobility. Results: All patients completed the study. Mobility restriction decreased by 2.0% (SD 6.9%) in the group receiving strain-counterstrain treatment and 0.6% (SD 5.7%) in the group receiving sham treatment (mean difference 1.5%, 95% confidence interval -1.7 to 4.8%; p=0.35). There were no significant differences between groups for secondary outcomes. After receiving the full osteopathic treatment the group initially receiving strain-counterstrain improved by another 4.2% (7.0%; p=0.003) and the group initially receiving sham by another 5.6% (SD 6.8%; p<0.001). Conclusions: Strain-counterstrain as a single intervention did not have immediate effects on mobility and pain over a sham treatment. Future studies should probably focus on the investigation of full osteopathic treatment.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2011-02-02
• Study Completion: 2011-08-03
• Results First Posted: 2012-12-07
• Last Update Posted: 19 August 2024

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: Complete
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 61

Inclusion Criteria

Age 18 to 65 years, acute or recurrent neck pain, according to manual testing blockage in the the cervical spine, signed informed consent

Exclusion Criteria

Indivduals with contraindications against manual therapy, patients in which the use of the magnetic measurement device could be associated with a relevant risk (e.g. patients with a pacemaker), pregnant women

Study & Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Main outcome measure is the sum of changes (in %) in mobility restriction (measured with the CROM) after treatment compared to normal mobility.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Flexion, extension, lateral flexion, rotation (all measured with the CROM), pain intensity (numerical rating scale), and global treatment assessment (verbal rating scale) after intervention