The effectiveness and cost-evaluation of manual therapy and physical therapy in patients with sub-acute and chronic non specific neck pain. Rationale and design of a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT)

• Published in: BMC musculoskeletal disorders 2010-01, Vol.11 (1), p.14-14, Article 14
• Main Authors: Groeneweg, Ruud, Kropman, Hans, Leopold, Huco, van Assen, Luite, Mulder, Jan, van Tulder, Maurits W, Oostendorp, Rob A B
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Care and treatment; Clinical Protocols; Clinical trials; Confidence intervals; Cost-Benefit Analysis; Disability Evaluation; Exercise Therapy - economics; Exercise Therapy - methods; Exercise Therapy - statistics & numerical data; Female; Health aspects; Health Care Costs - statistics & numerical data; Health care expenditures; Health sciences; Humans; Life sciences; Male; Manipulative therapy; Middle Aged; Musculoskeletal diseases; Musculoskeletal Manipulations - economics; Musculoskeletal Manipulations - methods; Musculoskeletal Manipulations - statistics & numerical data; Musculoskeletal system; Neck pain; Neck Pain - economics; Neck Pain - therapy; Netherlands; Occupational therapy; Outcome Assessment (Health Care) - methods; Pain; Pain Measurement; Physical therapy; Physical Therapy Specialty - economics; Physical Therapy Specialty - methods; Physical Therapy Specialty - statistics & numerical data; Quality Assurance, Health Care - methods; Quality of Life; Regression analysis; Research Design; Single-Blind Method; Spinal manipulation; Standard deviation; Studies; Study protocol; Therapeutics, Physiological; Therapists; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1471-2474; 1471-2474
• DOI: 10.1186/1471-2474-11-14

Manual Therapy applied to patients with non specific neck pain has been investigated several times. In the Netherlands, manual therapy as applied according to the Utrecht School of Manual Therapy (MTU) has not been the subject of a randomized controlled trial. MTU differs in diagnoses and treatment from other forms of manual therapy. This is a single blind randomized controlled trial in patients with sub-acute and chronic non specific neck pain. Patients with neck complaints existing for two weeks (minimum) till one year (maximum) will participate in the trial. 180 participants will be recruited in thirteen primary health care centres in the Netherlands.The experimental group will be treated with MTU during a six week period. The control group will be treated with physical therapy (standard care, mainly active exercise therapy), also for a period of six weeks.Primary outcomes are Global Perceived Effect (GPE) and functional status (Neck Disability Index (NDI-DV)). Secondary outcomes are neck pain (Numeric Rating Scale (NRS)), Eurocol, costs and quality of life (SF36). This paper presents details on the rationale of MTU, design, methods and operational aspects of the trial. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00713843.