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CompletedNCT01289964TSUpdated Aug 19, 2011

The Effect of 5 Times Dry Cupping in the Treatment of Chronic Neck Pain

An interventional study of Dry Cupping or fire cupping in Neck Pain, Neck Pain Musculoskeletal and Mechanical/Motor Problems With Neck and Trunk, sponsored by Universität Duisburg-Essen. Completed at 1 site in Germany. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 75 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2011-08-19.

Sponsored by Universität Duisburg-Essen · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
50
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 75 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The study aims to investigate the influence of 5 dry cupping treatments on chronic non specific neck pain. 50 patients with neck pain are randomised into cupping treatment and waiting list control group at T0 (Day 0). At T1 (Day 7)the investigators evaluate the neck pain (VAS), the neck related disability (NDI), pain related to movement (PRTM) and the quality of life (SF36). To investigate neurophysiological effects of cupping we also measure mechanical detection threshold (MDT), vibration detection threshold (VDT) and pressure pain threshold (PPT) at pain related and control areas. The treatment group then receives 5 cupping treatments over a period of two weeks. After the cupping series resp. a waiting period for the waiting list control group (T2, Day 25) all measurements from T1 are repeated (VAS, NDI, PRTM, SF36, MDT, PPT, VDT). At last, a pain and medication diary is filled in by the patients from T0(Day 0) until T2 (Day 25). The investigators hypothesize, that cupping treatment is effective against neck pain (diary, VAS, NDI, PRTM, SF36) and that it leads to changes on perceptual level (MDT, VDT, PPT), when compared to the waiting list control group.

Read the detailed description

see above

02

Conditions studied

  • Neck Pain
  • Neck Pain Musculoskeletal
  • Mechanical/Motor Problems With Neck and Trunk

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03

In context

Neck Pain

1,232 studies on the registry are indexed under Neck Pain; 255 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 50 is close to the median of 52 across 1,004 interventional studies indexed under Neck Pain.

Browse Neck Pain studies →

Lead sponsor

Universität Duisburg-Essen is the lead sponsor of 82 studies on the registry; 13 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 75 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • age between 18 and 75
  • permanent neck pain for at least three months in a row
  • a minimum of 40mm of neck pain on a 100mm visual analogue scale (VAS)
  • having been in treatment to an orthopaedic or to a neurologist

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • neck pain caused by trauma, inflammatory or malignant disease, by congenital malformation of the spine or if pain was accompanied by radicular symptoms such as radiating pain, paresis, prickling or tingling.
  • invasive treatments within the last 4 weeks, surgery to the spine within the last year, corticosteroid or opioid treatment.
  • serious acute or chronic organic disease such as diabetes or cancer, mental disorders, pregnancy, and haemorrhagic tendency or anticoagulation treatment.
  • non steroidal pain medication and physiotherapy were allowed if the treatment regimen was not altered for four weeks before and continued during the study.
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
50 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • No intervention
    Waiting list control group

    No treatment within the study period, were allowed to continue physiotherapy and medication. Were offered the treatment after finishing the study

  • Active comparator
    Treatment group

    Received the 5 cupping treatments, application twice a week, non standardised application - individual determinations of trigger points

    Procedure: Dry Cupping or fire cupping

Interventions

  • ProcedureDry Cupping or fire cupping

    5 dry cupping treatments, application twice a week, non standardised procedure

    Also known as: Cupping is: heating glas cups to create a vacuum on the skin

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Pain intensity

    100mm Visual Analogue Scale

    Time frame: at T2 (Day 25)

Secondary outcomes

  1. pain related to movement

    100mm Visual Analogue Scale for 6 movement directions (Irnich, BMJ 2001)

    Time frame: at T2 (Day 25)

  2. pain diary

    Daily rating of pain intensity (numeric rating scale from 0-10)

    Time frame: from T0 (Day 0) to T2 (Day25)

  3. Neck disability index

    NDI measures neck pain complaints (Vernon und Mior 1991)

    Time frame: at T2 (Day 25)

  4. Quality of Life SF-36

    the sf-36 is a short form health survey consisting of 8 scales to measure functional health and wellbeing (Bullinger \& Kirchberger 1998)

    Time frame: at T2 (Day 25)

  5. mechanical detection threshold MDT

    by von Frey filaments to measure perception threshold for light touch (Rolke, Pain, 2006)

    Time frame: at T2 (Day 25)

  6. vibration detection threshold VDT

    with a tuning fork to measure perception threshold for vibration (Rolke, Pain, 2006)

    Time frame: at T2 (Day 25)

  7. pressure pain threshold PPT

    with a pressure gauge algometer to determine threshold for painful pressure (Rolke, Pain, 2006) on the area of maximal neck pain, the adjacent and hand and foot

    Time frame: at T2 (Day 25)

  8. Side effects

    open question on any side effects or other experiences with the treatment

    Time frame: from T1 (Day 7) to T2 (Day 25)

  9. Medication diary

    patient report used medication during the study period (amount, dose)

    Time frame: From T0 (Day 0) to T2 (Day 25)

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Knappschaftskrankenhaus
    Essen, NRW 45276, Germany
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Lauche R, Cramer H, Choi KE, Rampp T, Saha FJ, Dobos GJ, Musial F. The influence of a series of five dry cupping treatments on pain and mechanical thresholds in patients with chronic non-specific neck pain--a randomised controlled pilot study. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2011 Aug 15;11:63. doi: 10.1186/1472-6882-11-63. PubMed 21843336 ↗
09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Aug 19, 2011, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT01289964
Lead sponsor
Universität Duisburg-Essen
First posted
Feb 4, 2011
Start date
Jul 2009
Primary completion
Dec 2009
Completion
Dec 2009
Last update
Aug 19, 2011

Study contacts

Gustav J Dobos, Prof. MD
principal investigator · University of Duisburg-Essen, Chair of Complementary and Integrative Medicine

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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