An interventional study of Pain Inducing Massage and Pain Free Massage in Neck Pain, sponsored by University of Florida. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 60 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-30.
Sponsored by University of Florida · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
This study is interested in whether baseline measures of pain sensitivity i.e. the amount of pressure required to feel pain predicts pain relief following a pain inducing massage AND whether pain relief following a pain inducing massage is different than a pain free massage or placing your hand in a cold water bath. Participants with neck pain will be randomly assigned to receive a pain inducing massage, pain free massage, or to place their hand in a cold water bath.
Exclusion Criteria:
Participants will receive 60 seconds of manual pressure applied to one point in their neck followed by 30 seconds of complete pressure release 4 times for a total contact time of 240 seconds. Pressure will be applied such that the participant rates the pain = 5/10 on an 11-point numeric pain rating scale with 0 indicating no pain and 10 indicating the most severe pain imaginable.
Procedure: Pain Inducing Massage
Participants will receive 60 seconds of manual pressure applied to one point in their neck followed by 30 seconds of complete pressure release 4 times for a total contact time of 240 seconds. Pressure will be applied such that the participant rates the pain = 0/10 on an 11-point numeric pain rating scale with 0 indicating no pain and 10 indicating the most severe pain imaginable.
Procedure: Pain Free Massage
Participants will place their non-dominant hand into water cooled by a refrigeration unit (NESLAB RTE 7 Digital One, Thermo Scientific Co., Massachusetts, USA) that circulates water continuously to maintain a constant temperature of 6 degrees Celsius (males) or 8 degrees Celsius (females). The participant will place his or her hand in the cooled water for 60 seconds followed by a 30 second break in which the participant will remove his or her hand from the water. This will occur 4 times for a total immersion time of 240 seconds.
Procedure: Cold Water Bath
60 seconds of direct pressure to the neck resulting in 5/10 pain . This will be repeated four times for a total of 240 seconds
60 seconds of direct pressure to the neck resulting in 0/10 pain . This will be repeated four times for a total of 240 seconds
Participants will place their hand in a cold water bath maintained at 6 to 8 degrees Celsius for 60 seconds. This will be repeated four times for a total of 240 seconds.
Pressure Pain Threshold
Pressure applied to the web space of the foot with a digital pressure algometer applied at 1 kg/s. Participants will be instructed to indicate when the sensation first changes from pressure to pain (pain threshold)
Time frame: Baseline and immediately following the intervention
Numeric Pain Rating Scale Resting Pain
Participants will rate their "current" neck pain on a 0 to 100 scale with 0= no pain and 100= the most intense pain imaginable
Time frame: Baseline, immediately following intervention
Numeric Pain Rating Scale Movement Evoked Pain
Participants will rate their neck pain on a 0 to 100 scale with 0= no pain and 100= the most intense pain imaginable during active cervical spine range of motion. The average rating across all motions (flexion, extension, left and right sidebend, left and right rotation) will be used in the analysis.
Time frame: Baseline, immediately following intervention
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University of Florida