Table 1.
First authors, year, country |
Pain duration | Sample size, mean age (year) |
Duration weeks | Follow-up weeks |
Main outcome assessments |
Experimental group intervention* |
Control group intervention* |
Main conclusion (mean improvements on pain) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Irnich [17] 2001 Germany |
42% >5 years | 177 52 |
3 | 12 | Pain VAS (0–100) Cervical mobility |
Massage therapy (MT) (30 min/5 sessions) |
(1) Acupuncture (AC) (2) Sham laser AC (30 min/5 sessions) |
MT (12.70) < AC (25.30); MT (12.70) < sham laser AC (19.20) |
Cen [18] 2003 USA |
NR | 31 49 |
6 | 6 | Pain NPQ (0–100) ROM |
Chinese traditional massage (CTM) (30 min/18 sessions) |
(1) Exercise (EX) (20 min/day) (2) Standard care (SC) |
CTM (19.22) > EX (7.58) CTM (19.22) > SC (−4.13) |
Fryer [19] 2005 Australia |
NR | 37 23 |
1 day | — | PPT | Manual pressure release (MPR) (1 session) |
Sham myofascial release (SMR) (1 session) |
MPR (2.05) > SMR (−0.08) |
Meseguer [20] 2006 Spain |
NR | 54 40 |
1 day | — | Pain VAS (0–10) | Classical strain/counterstrain technique (CST) Modified strain/counterstrain technique (MST) (1 session) |
SC | CST = MST (2.60) CST (2.60) > SC (0.03) |
Zaproudina [21] 2007 Finland |
11.2 years | 105 42 |
1 or 2 | 48 | Pain VAS (0–100) NDI (0–100) |
MT (30 min/5 sessions) |
(1) Traditional bone setting (TBS) (90 min/5 sessions) (2) Physical therapy (PT) (45 min/5 sessions) |
MT (21.20) < TBS (31.60) MT (21.20) > PT (17.20) |
Blikstad [22] 2008 UK |
4–12 weeks | 45 24 |
1 day | — | Pain VAS (0–10) ROM |
Myofascial band therapy (MBT) (1 session) |
(1) Activator trigger point therapy (ATPT) (2) Sham ultrasound (SU) (1 session) |
MBT < ATPT MBT = SU |
Zuo [23] 2008 China |
10.4 years | 60 42 |
2 | — | Pain VAS (0–10) NDI (0–50) |
CTM (30 min/6 sessions) |
Traction (TR) (20 min/14 sessions) |
CTM (5.47) > TR (4.87) |
Sherman [24] 2009 USA |
7.6 years | 64 47 |
10 | 16 | NDI (0–50) CNFDS |
MT (10 sessions) |
SC | NDI: MT (5.50) > SC (2.20) |
Jiang [25] 2010 China |
— | 60 <60 |
3 | — | Pain VAS (0–10) | CTM (30 min/18 sessions) |
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) (2/18 sessions) |
CTM (3.40) > TCM (2.16) |
Madson [26] 2010 USA |
37.9 months | 23 50 |
4 | — | Pain VAS (0–100) NDI (0–50) |
MT plus moist heat packs and EX (60 min/8–12 sessions) |
Joint mobilization (JM) plus moist heat packs and EX (60 min/8–12 sessions) |
MT (8.50) < JM (24.45) |
Liu [27] 2011 China |
31.6 months | 90 42 |
2 | — | Pain VAS (0–10) NDI (0–50) ROM |
CTM (30 min/10 sessions) |
(1) AC in abdomen (2) AC in neck and shoulder (30 min/10 sessions) |
CTM (3.97) < AC1 (4.78) CTM (3.97) < AC2 (5.93) |
Zhang [28] 2011 China |
1–3 years | 120 23 |
10 days | 24 | Pain VAS (0–10) | CTM (20 min/10 sessions) |
TR (15 min/10 sessions) |
CTM (5.56) > TR (3.85) |
Lin [29] 2012 China |
7.7 months | 70 33 |
4 | — | Pain VAS (0–10) ROM |
CTM (12 sessions) |
TCM (3/28 sessions) |
CTM (4.17) > TCM (3.49) |
Wang [30] 2012 China |
1 week–5 years | 66 38 |
2 | — | Pain VAS (0–100) | CTM (20 min/6 sessions) |
TR (20 min/6 sessions) |
CTM (2.38) > TR (1.39) |
Topolska [31] 2012 Poland |
50% >11 years | 60 63 |
10–15 days | — | Pain VAS (0–10) NDI (0–50) ROM |
MT plus PT and kinesiotherapy (NR) |
PT and kinesiotherapy (NR) |
MT (1.40) < control (1.63) |
VAS: visual analog scale; ROM: range of motion; NR: not reported; NPQ: Northwick park neck pain questionnaire; PPT: pressure pain threshold; NDI: neck disability index; CNFDS: Copenhagen neck functional disability scale.
*Intervention/dose: number of intervention times/number of sessions, number of Chinese herbal medicines every day/number of sessions.