Time to visit and data collection
| 15 days | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| −1 day Baseline | 0 day Treatment phase | 3 days | Follow-up phase (end of treatment) | |
| Patients | ||||
| Informed consent | × | |||
| Sign informed consent | × | |||
| Medical history | × | |||
| Physical examination | × | |||
| Randomisation | × | |||
| Intervention | ||||
| Acupuncture group (n=18) | 3 sessions of acupuncture at Houxi (SI 3) acupoint plus massage | |||
| Comparisons | ||||
| Control group (n=18) | 3 sessions of massage at local neck region | |||
| Outcomes | ||||
| NPQ | × | × | × | |
| SF-MPQ | × | × | × | |
| Participant safety | ||||
| Adverse events | × | × | × | |
NPQ, Northwick Park Neck Pain Questionnaire; SF-MPQ, Short Form of McGill Pain Questionnaire.