Clinical trial NCT03333213: Gua Sha Therapy for Chronic Low Back Pain
Official title: Gua Sha Therapy for Chronic Low Back Pain: a Randomized Controlled Trial
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Low Back Pain
Lead sponsor: Universität Duisburg-Essen
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2017-11-06
Enrollment: 50
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 75
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: Chronic low back pain is a major public health burden with only limited evidence of effectiveness for complementary and traditional therapies. Gua Sha is a traditional East Asian therapy traditionally used in the treatment of spinal pain. This study aimed to test the efficacy of Gua Sha therapy in patients with chronic low back pain A total of 50 patients with chronic low back pain were randomized to either two Gua Sha treatments (n=25) or a waitlist control group (n=25). Primary outcome measure was current pain intensity on a 100-mm visual analog scale; secondary outcome measures included back-related function (Oswestry Disability Index), movement-related pain (modified Pain on Movement Questionnaire), as well as pressure pain threshold, mechanical detection threshold, and vibration detection threshold.

Detailed description: Chronic low back pain is a major public health burden with only limited evidence of effectiveness for complementary and traditional therapies. Gua Sha is a traditional East Asian therapy traditionally used in the treatment of spinal pain. This study aimed to test the efficacy of Gua Sha therapy in patients with chronic low back pain A total of 50 patients with chronic low back pain were randomized to either two Gua Sha treatments (n=25) or a waitlist control group (n=25). Primary outcome measure was current pain intensity on a 100-mm visual analog scale; secondary outcome measures included back-related function (Oswestry Disability Index), movement-related pain (modified Pain on Movement Questionnaire), as well as pressure pain threshold, mechanical detection threshold, and vibration detection threshold.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* non-specific low back pain at least once weekly for at least the previous 3 months
* average back pain intensity hat least 40mm on a 100mm visual analog scale (VAS)

Exclusion Criteria:

* specific low back pain due to trauma, disc protrusion, whiplash, congenital deformity of the spine, spinal stenosis, neoplasm, inflammatory rheumatic disease, or oncologic disease
* dystonia
* pregnancy
* invasive treatment of the spine or spinal surgery within the previous 4 weeks
* oral steroids or anticoagulants
* hemophilia or a skin condition in the area to be treated
* started a new treatment for low back pain within the previous month or planning to start a new treatment within the next month

Primary outcomes:
measure: Pain intensity
timeFrame: 12 weeks
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Pain on movement
timeFrame: 12 weeks
measure: Functional disability
timeFrame: 12 weeks
measure: Pressure-pain threshold (PPT)
timeFrame: 12 weeks
measure: Mechanical detection threshold (MDT)
timeFrame: 12 weeks
measure: Vibration detection threshold (VDT)
timeFrame: 12 weeks
measure: Adverse events
timeFrame: 12 weeks
Other outcomes:
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