Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26340656›Full record

Trial reportThe Clinical journal of pain2016

Craniosacral Therapy for the Treatment of Chronic Neck Pain: A Randomized Sham-controlled Trial.

Heidemarie Haller, Romy Lauche, Holger Cramer, Thomas Rampp, Felix J Saha, Thomas Ostermann, Gustav Dobos

5 registry-linked trialsOpen access · hybridAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in The Clinical journal of pain, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 5 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 22 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
22citing papers in PubMed, 9 pooled it
3.7field-weighted citation impact, top 8% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT01526447 nacompletednot on this map

Effects of Craniosacral Therapy on Chronic Neck Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversität Duisburg-EssenRan2012 to 2013Enrolled54ConditionsNeck PainArmsCraniosacral Therapy, Sham Craniosacral Therapy
NCT05190029 nacompletednot on this mapstarted 2021, after this paper: background citation

Early Craniosacral and Primitive Reflex Assessment in Infant Neurodevelopment.

TypeinterventionalSponsorClinica Gema LeonRan2021 to 2022Enrolled120ConditionsChild Development DisorderArmsSeries of questions to parents of children in a virtual form., Intervention by teachers, Physiotherapeutic evaluation
NCT05340049 nacompletednot on this mapstarted 2021, after this paper: background citation

Early Craniosacral Therapy Improves Infant Neurodevelopment in Apparently Healthy Children.

TypeinterventionalSponsorClinica Gema LeonRan2021 to 2022Enrolled120ConditionsChild Development DisorderArmsAcademic behavioral intervention of teachers, Therapy sessions
NCT06377995 naunknown statusnot on this mapstarted 2024, after this paper: background citation

Effectiveness of an Intervention Plan Targeting the Diaphragm in Young Adults With Chronic Non-specific Neck Pain: Randomised Clinical Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorEscola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde do PortoRan2024 to 2024Enrolled45ConditionsChronic Neck PainArmsPlacebo technique, Diaphragm protocol
NCT07247214 completednot on this mapstarted 2025, after this paper: background citation

Investigation of Parameters Related to Pain Catastrophizing, Fear of Movement, Neck Awareness and Upper Extremity Functionality in Individuals With Chronic Neck Pain - a Cross-sectional Study

TypeobservationalSponsorHasan Kalyoncu UniversityRan2025 to 2025Enrolled114ConditionsChronic Neck Pain
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

22 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 61 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Massage for neck pain.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2024
    Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Pooled it
  6. Pooled it
  7. Pooled it
  8. Pooled it
  9. Pooled it
  10. Trial
  11. Article
  12. Immediate Effect of Craniosacral Therapy on Postpartum Neck Pain-An Experimental Study.International journal of therapeutic massage & bodywork · 2026
    Article
  13. Review
  14. Article
  15. Review
  16. Review
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Temporomandibular Myofascial Pain Syndrome-Aetiology and Biopsychosocial Modulation. A Narrative Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021
    Review
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Heidemarie Haller*Department of Internal and Integrative Medicine, Kliniken Essen-Mitte, Faculty of Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen ‡Department of Psychology, Chair of Research Methodology and Statistics in Psychology, Witten/Herdecke University, Germany †Australian Research Centre in Complementary and Integrative Medicine (ARCCIM), Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Sydney, Australia.
Romy Lauche
Holger Cramer
Thomas Rampp
Felix J Saha
Thomas Ostermann
Gustav Dobos
Kliniken Essen-Mitte · DEUniversity of Duisburg-Essen · DEUniversity of Technology Sydney · AUWitten/Herdecke University · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesWith growing evidence for the effectiveness of craniosacral therapy (CST) for pain management, the efficacy of CST remains unclear. This study therefore aimed at investigating CST in comparison with sham treatment in chronic nonspecific neck pain patients. MATERIALS AND

methodsA total of 54 blinded patients were randomized into either 8 weekly units of CST or light-touch sham treatment. Outcomes were assessed before and after treatment (week 8) and again 3 months later (week 20). The primary outcome was the pain intensity on a visual analog scale at week 8; secondary outcomes included pain on movement, pressure pain sensitivity, functional disability, health-related quality of life, well-being, anxiety, depression, stress perception, pain acceptance, body awareness, patients' global impression of improvement, and safety.

resultsIn comparison with sham, CST patients reported significant and clinically relevant effects on pain intensity at week 8 (-21 mm group difference; 95% confidence interval, -32.6 to -9.4; P=0.001; d=1.02) and at week 20 (-16.8 mm group difference; 95% confidence interval, -27.5 to -6.1; P=0.003; d=0.88). Minimal clinically important differences in pain intensity at week 20 were reported by 78% within the CST group, whereas 48% even had substantial clinical benefit. Significant between-group differences at week 20 were also found for pain on movement, functional disability, physical quality of life, anxiety and patients' global improvement. Pressure pain sensitivity and body awareness were significantly improved only at week 8. No serious adverse events were reported. DISCUSSION: CST was both specifically effective and safe in reducing neck pain intensity and may improve functional disability and the quality of life up to 3 months after intervention.

Indexed as

Treatment OutcomeAdultAgedChronic PainFemaleFollow-Up StudiesHumansMaleMiddle AgedMusculoskeletal ManipulationsNeck PainOutcome Assessment, Health CarePain MeasurementSingle-Blind MethodYoung Adult

Identifiers

PMID26340656
PMCPMC4894825
OpenAlexW1446720185

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.