View clinical trials related to Neck Pain.
Filter by:Objective: The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the long-term efficacy of electroacupuncture for chronic neck pain. The secondary objective is to document any possible side effects of acupuncture. Design and Subjects: Prospective, randomised controlled trial comparing the outcomes of treatment and placebo interventions. Subjects are 200 adult patients with chronic mechanical neck pain. Setting: Outpatient clinics. Interventions: Patients will be randomly allocated to one of the two groups receiving either: electroacupuncture (real treatment) or placebo (sham laser acupuncture). Each treatment will last for 45 minutes. Each patient will receive a total of nine treatments (three times per week for three weeks). Main outcome measures: Primary outcome measures: Neck pain disability index (Northwick Park Neck Pain Questionnaire). Secondary outcome measures: Maximum pain related to motion on visual analogue scale. Quality of life (SF-36). Use of medication. Sick leave because of neck pain. Treatment-related adverse effects, such as pain, skin irritation, bleeding and dizziness, will also be assessed. Assessments will be made before treatment, one month, three months and six months after the treatment course. The credibility of placebo treatment will also be assessed. Expected results: We expect that patients in the treatment group will have significant improvements on primary and secondary outcome measures, when compared with patients in the inert placebo group. Conclusion: This study will provide credible evidence regarding whether electroacupuncture is effective in reducing chronic neck pain. Patients, healthcare professionals, and government policy makers can make use of this information to improve clinical outcomes and reduce costs
The goal of this research project is to develop a new system that uses lasers to provide 3-dimensional (3-D) images of the cervical spine (the seven spinal bones in the neck) in a moving person. Doctors and researchers could use this system to examine people with spinal disorders and to learn more about how the spine works. The laser technique would be better than existing imaging methods because it would provide 3-D views of the cervical spine and would not expose patients to radiation. These two features would make a laser system a safer and more effective tool than other imaging systems. This technique should be suitable for a wide variety of uses because the sensitivity of the measurement can be adjusted depending on what is being studied. The benefits of this research will include helping doctors and other health practitioners to detect and diagnose painful spinal disorders more effectively. This should lead to improved treatment and management of spinal disorders.