Effects of Craniosacral Therapy on Chronic Neck Pain (CranioS)

The purpose of this randomized controlled trial is to determinate the efficacy and safety of Craniosacral Therapy in the treatment of chronic unspecific neck pain.

Craniosacral Therapy (CST) is a variation of osteopathic manipulation with an integrative approach. By soft manual palpation of the craniosacral and fascia system sensory, motor, cognitive, and emotional processes can be influenced. In the prevention and treatment of chronic pain syndromes Craniosacral Therapy is demonstrated to be effective in clinical practice and quite a few scientific trials. But yet there are no randomized controlled studies concerning to chronic neck pain. So the aim of this study is to investigate whether a total of 8 CST units of 45 minutes will be effective in patients suffering from chronic nonspecific neck pain in contrast to sham therapy of the same extent. The prospective study design includes measurement points at baseline, post treatment, and 3 months follow-up.

Neck Pain, Craniosacral Manipulation, Complementary Therapies, Randomized Controlled Trial, Sensory Thresholds, Quality of Life

Each participant of the experimental group receives 8 Craniosacral Therapy units once a week of 45 minutes.

Standardized therapy protocol (according to Upledger): Still point technique, diaphragm release, compression-decompression and lift techniques of the cranial bones, facial balancing in the region of shoulder and pelvis and somato-emotional unwinding

Standardized sham protocol: Placing hands on various parts of the clothed body for two minutes each time without therapeutic intention

Pain intensity induced by flexion, extension, lateral flexion and rotation of the head on a 100mm visual analogue scale (VAS)

Inclusion Criteria: Chronic unspecific neck pain for at least 3 months Mean neck pain of moderate intensity (>/=45mm on VAS) Therapy-naive subjects Exclusion Criteria: Specific neck pain due to severe deformity of the spine, prolapse, rheumatic or neurological disorder, trauma, operation or cancer other severe somatic or psychiatric comorbidity pregnancy regular intake of opiates, corticosteroids (>10mg prednisolon), muscle relaxants or antidepressants recent invasive or manipulative treatment of the spine participation in other clinical trials

Department of Internal and Integrative Medicine, Kliniken Essen-Mitte, Faculty of Medicine, University Duisburg-Essen, Germany

Haller H, Ostermann T, Lauche R, Cramer H, Dobos G. Credibility of a comparative sham control intervention for Craniosacral Therapy in patients with chronic neck pain. Complement Ther Med. 2014 Dec;22(6):1053-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2014.09.007. Epub 2014 Oct 6.

Haller H, Lauche R, Cramer H, Rampp T, Saha FJ, Ostermann T, Dobos G. Craniosacral Therapy for the Treatment of Chronic Neck Pain: A Randomized Sham-controlled Trial. Clin J Pain. 2016 May;32(5):441-9. doi: 10.1097/AJP.0000000000000290.