Craniosacral Therapy Shown Beneficial in Management of Chronic Neck Pain
-
Hollis H. King
Haller H, Lauche R, Cramer H, et al. Craniosacral therapy for the treatment of chronic neck pain: a randomized sham-controlled trial. Clin J Pain. 2016;32:441-449. doi:10.1097/AJP.0000000000000290.
Physical therapy researchers used craniosacral therapy (CST) in the management of chronic neck pain at the Department of Internal and Integrative Medicine at the University of Duisburg-Essen in Essen, Germany. Inclusion criteria were “an age of 18 to 65 years; chronic nonspecific neck pain for 3 months or more with at least moderate pain intensity of 45 mm or higher on a 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS),” and no familiarity with CST. Exclusion criteria included specific neck pain due to degenerative disease (eg, disc prolapse), inflammatory disease (eg, spondylitis), neurologic disease (eg, neuropathy), physical trauma (eg, whiplash), neoplasms of the spine, severe psychiatric condition (eg, depression), pregnancy, or use of corticosteroids, opiates, or muscle relaxants.
Fifty-four participants were randomly assigned to the CST group (n=27) or the sham group (n=27). Both groups were told they would receive 1 of 2 CST techniques. Standardized treatment protocols consisted of 8 units of CST or sham once per week for 45 minutes each. The CST protocol included the following:
frontal and parietal lift, medial compression of the parietal bones, release of the sagittal suture and atlanto-occipital joint, compression-decompression of the sphenobasilar and temporomandibular joints, cranial base release, release of the hyoid diaphragm and the thoracic inlet, dural tube traction, respiratory and pelvic diaphragm release, lumbosacral and sacroiliac decompression, fascial unwinding of the neck/shoulder and lower limbs, and still point induction.
These procedures are familiar to those who use osteopathic cranial manipulative medicine (OCMM). The sham protocol comprised light touch to the same areas of the body to which CST was applied for 2 minutes each.
The primary outcome measure was pain intensity average during the last 7 days of week 8 and at week 20 (follow-up) as recorded on the VAS. Secondary measures included pain on movement, functional disability, and body awareness. The primary outcome on the pain VAS was significant and clinically relevant at week 8 (P=.001) and at week 20 (P=.003). Significant between-group differences at week 20 were found for pain on movement, functional disability, and body awareness. No serious adverse effects were reported.
Although it is difficult to directly compare OCMM with CST because of the differences in training of physical therapists and osteopathic physicians, these data are useful for further research in OCMM.
© 2016 American Osteopathic Association
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Articles in the same Issue
- SURF
- Management of Cesarean Deliveries and Cesarean Scars With Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment: A Brief Report
- EDITORIAL
- Marian University and the Research Enterprise at Its College of Osteopathic Medicine
- AOA COMMUNICATION
- Official Call: 2016 Annual Business Meeting of the American Osteopathic Association (Reprint)
- Proposed Amendments to the AOA Constitution, Bylaws, and Code of Ethics
- ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTION
- Association Between Method of Delivery and Exclusive Breastfeeding at Hospital Discharge
- Targeted Pressure on Abductor Hallucis and Flexor Hallucis Brevis Muscles to Manage Moderate to Severe Primary Restless Legs Syndrome
- REVIEW
- Clinical Relevance and Mechanisms of Antagonism Between the BMP and Activin/TGF-β Signaling Pathways
- MEDICAL EDUCATION
- Quantitative Description of Medical Student Interest in Neurology and Psychiatry
- Assessment of Research Interests of First-Year Osteopathic Medical Students
- CASE REPORT
- Osteopathic Approach to the Diagnosis of Appendiceal Mucinous Cystadenocarcinoma Mimicking Primary Ovarian Malignant Neoplasm
- THE SOMATIC CONNECTION
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Improves Outcomes in Adults With Chronic Low Back Pain
- Craniosacral Therapy Shown Beneficial in Management of Chronic Neck Pain
- Educational Interventions May Help Prevent Low Back Pain but Are Not Effective in the Prevention and Treatment of Nonspecific Neck Pain
- HVLA or Stretch May Not Be Necessary for Nonspecific Back or Neck Pain Relief
- Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy Is Feasible and Safe After Abdominal Surgery
- Manual Therapy Technique Shown Beneficial for Osteoarthritis of the Hip
- CLINICAL IMAGES
- Nodular Torus Palatinus
Articles in the same Issue
- SURF
- Management of Cesarean Deliveries and Cesarean Scars With Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment: A Brief Report
- EDITORIAL
- Marian University and the Research Enterprise at Its College of Osteopathic Medicine
- AOA COMMUNICATION
- Official Call: 2016 Annual Business Meeting of the American Osteopathic Association (Reprint)
- Proposed Amendments to the AOA Constitution, Bylaws, and Code of Ethics
- ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTION
- Association Between Method of Delivery and Exclusive Breastfeeding at Hospital Discharge
- Targeted Pressure on Abductor Hallucis and Flexor Hallucis Brevis Muscles to Manage Moderate to Severe Primary Restless Legs Syndrome
- REVIEW
- Clinical Relevance and Mechanisms of Antagonism Between the BMP and Activin/TGF-β Signaling Pathways
- MEDICAL EDUCATION
- Quantitative Description of Medical Student Interest in Neurology and Psychiatry
- Assessment of Research Interests of First-Year Osteopathic Medical Students
- CASE REPORT
- Osteopathic Approach to the Diagnosis of Appendiceal Mucinous Cystadenocarcinoma Mimicking Primary Ovarian Malignant Neoplasm
- THE SOMATIC CONNECTION
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Improves Outcomes in Adults With Chronic Low Back Pain
- Craniosacral Therapy Shown Beneficial in Management of Chronic Neck Pain
- Educational Interventions May Help Prevent Low Back Pain but Are Not Effective in the Prevention and Treatment of Nonspecific Neck Pain
- HVLA or Stretch May Not Be Necessary for Nonspecific Back or Neck Pain Relief
- Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy Is Feasible and Safe After Abdominal Surgery
- Manual Therapy Technique Shown Beneficial for Osteoarthritis of the Hip
- CLINICAL IMAGES
- Nodular Torus Palatinus
