Can a gentle head massage ease your back pain?
NCT ID NCT04199091
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tested whether teaching people with chronic back pain simple craniosacral therapy self-help techniques could reduce their pain and improve function. 76 participants were split into two groups: one learned craniosacral therapy techniques, and the other learned progressive muscle relaxation. Both groups attended 24 sessions over 12 weeks. The goal was to see if craniosacral therapy could be a useful, drug-free self-help strategy.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Craniosacral therapy self-help techniques
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a gentle, drug-free self-help option for managing chronic back pain.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study with only 76 participants. The mechanisms of craniosacral therapy are not well understood, and results may not apply to everyone.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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76 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Aug 2023
- Finished
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Sep 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Chronic non-specific / functional lower back pain for at least 3 months * Functional impairment: minimal 11 and maximal 41 points on the ODI * Willingness to participate in the group program and practice at home Exclusion Criteria: * Specific back pain due to: * Severe congenital or acute degenerative diseases * Severe inflammatory musculoskeletal or rheumatic diseases * Neurological diseases * Status after actue trauma/whiplash * Status after neoplasms in the area of the spinal column * Acute severe comorbid mental illness or other acute severe comorbid somatic illness * Pregnancy * Current pension application * Regular use of corticosteroids, opiates, muscle relaxants, or antidepressants * Simultaneous participation in other clinical trials
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Center for Integrative Medicine and Planetary Health, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen
Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, 45130, Germany
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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