Thermotherapy self-treatment for neck pain relief-A randomized controlled trial

Aim of the study: To evaluate the potential of thermotherapy self-treatment in relieving pain and improving sensory function in patients with chronic mechanical neck pain. Materials and methods: Fifty patients (74% female; mean age 57.18 +/- 12.3 years) with chronic mechanical neck pain were randomized to either treatment group (n = 25) or control group (n = 25). Treatment group used a mud heat pad once a day for 20 min over a period of 14 days while the control group was left untreated. Both groups were allowed to continue self-directed usual care. Primary outcome measure was neck pain intensity as assessed by a 100 mm visual analog scale (VAS) after 14 days. Secondary outcome measures included a pain diary (daily measure of pain intensity on a 100 mm VAS), functional disability (neck disability index; NDI) and health-related quality of life (short form-36; SF-36). Physiological measures included mechanical detection threshold (MDT), pressure pain threshold (PPT) and vibration detection threshold (VDT) at the site of maximal pain and in the adjacent region. Results: Significant group differences occurred for pain intensity (mean difference - 16.00 mm; 95% confidence interval -26.07; -5.92; P = 0.003) and pain diary (P = 0.013). Group differences for MDT and VDT occurred at the site of maximal pain (MDT: P < 0.001; VDT: P = 0.035) and in the adjacent region (MDT: P = 0.042; VDT: P = 0.008). No group differences were found in NDI, SF-36 or PPT. Conclusions: Thermotherapy self-treatment seems to be effective in relieving pain and improving sensory functioning in patients with chronic mechanical neck pain. Further research is needed to underpin these preliminary results. (C) 2012 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.