Efficacy of the Alexander Technique in treating chronic non-specific neck pain: A randomized controlled trial

Clinical Rehabilitation

Volumn 30, Issue 3, 2016, Pages 247-258

  Lauche, Romy ^a,b   Schuth, Mareike ^c   Schwickert, Myriam ^a,d   Lüdtke, Rainer ^e   Musial, Frauke ^f   Michalsen, Andreas ^g   Dobos, Gustav ^a   Choi, Kyung Eun ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF DUISBURG ESSEN   (Germany)

^b UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY SYDNEY   (Australia)

^c Gemeinschaftskrankenhaus Herdecke   (Germany)

^d Migräne und Kopfschmerzklinik Königstein ^*  (Germany)

^e Karl and Veronica Carstens Foundation   (Germany)

^f UNIVERSITY OF TROMSØ   (Norway)

^g Immanuel Hospital Berlin   (Germany)

Author keywords

Alexander Technique; chronic pain; clinical trial; guided imagery; kinesthetic control; local heat; Neck pain; randomized controlled trial; sensory awareness

Indexed keywords

ADULT; BODY POSTURE; CHRONIC PAIN; CONTROLLED STUDY; FEMALE; GUIDED IMAGERY; HUMAN; MALE; MIDDLE AGED; NECK PAIN; PAIN MEASUREMENT; PATIENT EDUCATION; QUALITY OF LIFE; RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL; THERMOTHERAPY; TREATMENT OUTCOME;

ADULT; CHRONIC PAIN; FEMALE; HUMANS; HYPERTHERMIA, INDUCED; IMAGERY (PSYCHOTHERAPY); MALE; MIDDLE AGED; NECK PAIN; PAIN MEASUREMENT; PATIENT EDUCATION AS TOPIC; POSTURE; QUALITY OF LIFE; TREATMENT OUTCOME;

EID: 84958549210     PISSN: 02692155     EISSN: 14770873     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/0269215515578699     Document Type: Article

References (33)

1. Fejer R, Kyvik KO, Hartvigsen J. The prevalence of neck pain in the world population: a systematic critical review of the literature. European spine journal. 2006; 15: 834-848.
2. Cote P, van der Velde G, Cassidy JD, et al.The burden and determinants of neck pain in workers: results of the Bone and Joint Decade 2000-2010 Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders. Spine. 2008; 33: S60-S74.
3. Cote P, Cassidy JD, Carroll L. The Saskatchewan Health and Back Pain Survey. The prevalence of neck pain and related disability in Saskatchewan adults. Spine. 1998; 23: 1689-1698.
4. Hurwitz EL, Carragee EJ, van der Velde G, et al.Treatment of neck pain: noninvasive interventions: results of the Bone and Joint Decade 2000-2010 Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders. Spine. 2008; 33: S123-S152.
5. Peloso P, Gross A, Haines T, et al.Medicinal and injection therapies for mechanical neck disorders. Cochrane database of systematic reviews. 2007: CD000319.
6. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Allgemeinmedizin und Familienmedizin e.V. (DEGAM). DEGAM Leitlinie Nr. 13-Nackenschmerzen. 2009 [German College of General Practitioners and Family Physicians (DEGAM). DEGAM Treatment Guideline No.13-Neck pain, 2009].
7. Cramer H, Baumgarten C, Choi KE, et al. Thermotherapy self-treatment for neck pain relief-A randomized controlled trial. EurJ Integr Med 2012; 4: e371-e378.
8. Michalsen A, Bock S, Ludtke R, et al. Effects of traditional cupping therapy in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome: a randomized controlled trial. The journal of pain. 2009; 10: 601-608.
9. Lauche R, Materdey S, Cramer H, et al.Effectiveness of home-based cupping massage compared to progressive muscle relaxation in patients with chronic neck pain-a randomized controlled trial. PloS one. 2013; 8: e65378.
10. Alexander FM. The Use of the Self. The world-famous classic by the originator of the Alexander Technique. London: Orion Books Ltd., 1932.
11. Barlow W. The Alexander Principle. 2 ed. London: Victor Gollancz Ltd., 1991.
12. Little P, Lewith G, Webley F, et al.Randomised controlled trial of Alexander technique lessons, exercise, and massage (ATEAM) for chronic and recurrent back pain. BMJ. 2008; 337: a884.
13. MacPherson H, Tilbrook HE, Richmond SJ, et al.Alexander Technique Lessons, Acupuncture Sessions or usual care for patients with chronic neck pain (ATLAS): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. Trials. 2013; 14: 209.
14. Jensen MP, Chen C, Brugger AM. Interpretation of visual analog scale ratings and change scores: a reanalysis of two clinical trials of postoperative pain. J Pain. 2003; 4: 407-414.
15. Lauche R, Langhorst J, Dobos GJ, Cramer H. Clinically meaningful differences in pain, disability and quality of life for chronic nonspecific neck pain-a reanalysis of 4 randomized controlled trials of cupping therapy. Complement Ther Med. 2013; 21: 342-347.
16. Bernardy K, Fuber N, Klose P, Hauser W. Efficacy of hypnosis/guided imagery in fibromyalgia syndrome-a systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled trials. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2011; 12: 133.
17. Kabat-Zinn J. Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness. New York, NY: Delacorte, 1990.
18. WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology. Guidelines for ATC Classification and DDD Assignment 2010. Oslo: World Health Organisation, 2009.
19. Lauche R, Cramer H, Langhorst J, Michalsen A, Dobos G. Reliability and validity of the pain on movement questionnaire (POM) in chronic neck pain. Pain med. 2014; 15: 1850-1856.
20. Vernon H, Mior S. The neck disability index: A study of reliability and validity. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 1991; 14: 409-415.
21. Cramer H, Lauche R, Langhorst J, Dobos GJ, Michalsen A. Validation of the German version of the Neck Disability Index (NDI). BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2014; 15: 91.
22. Bullinger M, Kirchberger I. SF-36. Fragebogen zum Gesundheitszustand. Handanweisung [The SF-36 Health Survey. Manual]. Göttingen: Hogrefe, 1998.
23. Stallibrass C, Sissons P, Chalmers C. Randomized controlled trial of the Alexander technique for idiopathic Parkinson's disease. Clin rehabil. 2002; 16: 695-708.
24. Vickers AP, Ledwith F, Gibbens AO. The impact of the Alexander technique on chronic mechanical low back pain. Unpublished report, 2000.
25. Yardley L, Dennison L, Coker R, et al. Patients' views of receiving lessons in the Alexander technique and an exercise prescription for managing back pain in the ATEAM trial. Family practice. 2010; 27: 198-204.
26. Beattie A, Shaw A, Yardley L, Little P, Sharp D. Participating in and delivering the ATEAM trial (Alexander technique lessons, exercise, and massage) interventions for chronic back pain: A qualitative study of professional perspectives. Complement Ther Med. 2010; 18: 119-127.
27. Hollinghurst S, Sharp D, Ballard K, et al. Randomised controlled trial of Alexander technique lessons, exercise, and massage (ATEAM) for chronic and recurrent back pain: economic evaluation. BMJ. 2008; 337: a2656.
28. McClean S, Wye L. Taking charge, choosing a new direction: A service evaluation of Alexander Technique lessons for pain clinic patients (SEAT): An approach to pain management. Project Report. Bristol: UWE Bristol, 2012. Available at: http://eprints.uwe.ac.uk/16903/
29. Lewis P. Alexander technique trial. A trial subject's perspective. BMJ. 2009; 338: b1059.
30. Paterson C. Measuring outcomes in primary care: a patient generated measure, MYMOP, compared with the SF-36 health survey. BMJ. 1996; 312: 1016-1020.
31. Cacciatore TW, Gurfinkel VS, Horak FB, Cordo PJ, Ames KE. Increased dynamic regulation of postural tone through Alexander Technique training. Human movement science. 2011; 30: 74-89.
32. Cacciatore TW, Gurfinkel VS, Horak FB, Day BL. Prolonged weight-shift and altered spinal coordination during sit-to-stand in practitioners of the Alexander Technique. Gait & posture. 2011; 34: 496-501.
33. Cacciatore TW, Horak FB, Henry SM. Improvement in automatic postural coordination following alexander technique lessons in a person with low back pain. Phys Ther. 2005; 85: 565-578.