Background
Materials and methods
Eligibility criteria
Literature search
Data extraction
Risk of bias in individual studies
Statistical analyses
Assessment of overall effect sizes
Subgroup analyses
Assessment of heterogeneity
Sensitivity analyses
Risk of bias across studies
Results
Literature search
Study characteristics
Reference | Origin | Chronic pain condition | Sample size | Mean age | Percentage of women | Experimental intervention | Control intervention | Assessment points | Outcomes | Safety | Funding |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arnadottir 2013 [36] | Iceland | Migraine | 20 | 37.6 ± 9.3 | 90% | 6 CST treatments (semi-standardized therapy protocol) over 4 weeks | WL | Post | - Functional disability (HIT-6) | N.r. | N.r. |
Bialoszewski 2014 [37] | Poland | Low back pain | 55 | 33.0 ± 7.0 | N.r. | 3 CST treatments (standardized therapy protocol) over 2 weeks | 3 trigger point treatments over 2 weeks | Post | - Pain intensity (LPIQ) | N.r. | N.r. |
- Functional disability (LPIQ) | |||||||||||
Castro-Sanchez 2011 [38] | Spain | Fibromyalgia | 109 | 52.5 ± 11.7 | 100% | 40 CST treatments (semi-standardized therapy protocol) over 20 weeks | 40 non-manual sham treatments (inactive magnet therapy) over 20 weeks | Post 7mFU | - Global improvement (CGII) | No withdrawal due to AEs | No specific funding |
Castro-Sanchez 2016 [39] | Spain | Low back pain | 64 | 50.0 ± 12.0 | 66% | 10 CST treatments (semi-standardized therapy protocol) over 10 weeks | 10 soft tissue massage treatments over 10 weeks | Post 3.5mFU | - Pain intensity (NRS) | No withdrawal due to AEs | No specific funding |
- Functional disability (RMQ) | |||||||||||
Elden 2013 [40] | Sweden | Pelvic girdle pain | 123 | 30.6 ± 3.9 | 100% | 5 CST treatments (semi-standardized therapy protocol) over 8 weeks + TAU | TAU | Post | - Pain intensity (VAS) | Patients with minor AEs: CST = 5/63 UC = 6/60 | Government research grant |
- Functional disability (ODI) | |||||||||||
- Physical quality of life (EQ. 5D) | |||||||||||
Haller 2016 [41] | Germany | Neck pain | 54 | 44.6 ± 10.0 | 81.5% | 8 CST treatments (semi-standardized therapy protocol) over 8 weeks | 8 sham manual treatments (light touch) over 8 weeks | Post 5mFU | - Pain intensity (VAS) | Patients with minor AEs: CST = 7/27 Sham = 9/27 | Funding from university (treatments) and CST associations (publication fee) |
- Functional disability (NDI) | |||||||||||
- Physical quality of life (SF12-PSC) | |||||||||||
- Mental quality of life (SF12-MSC) | |||||||||||
- Global improvement (PGII) | |||||||||||
Hanten 1999 [42] | United States | Tension-type headache | 60 | 36.0 ± 12.0 | 71.7% | 1 CST treatment (single technique) | No treatment | Post | - Pain intensity (VAS) | N.r. | N.r. |
Mann 2012 [35] | United States | Migraine | 69 | 42.1 ± 16.0 | 94.2% | 8 CST treatments (semi-standardized therapy protocol) over 8 weeks + TAU | 8 non-manual sham treatments (inactive/active magnet therapy) over 8 weeks + TAU | Post | - Pain intensity (Diary: severe headache hours/day) | N.r. | Government research grant |
- Functional disability (MIDAS) | |||||||||||
Mataran-Penarrocha 2011 [43] | Spain | Fibromyalgia | 104 | 49.1 ± 14.1 | 96.4% | 50 CST treatments (semi-standardized therapy protocol) over 25 weeks | 50 non-manual sham treatments (disconnected ultrasound) over 25 weeks | Post 11mFU | - Pain intensity (SF36-BP) | Patients with AEs: CST = 0/43 Sham = 0/41 | N.r. |
- Functional disability (SF36-PF) | |||||||||||
- Physical quality of life (SF36-GH) | |||||||||||
- Mental quality of life (SF36-MH) | |||||||||||
Nourbakhsh 2008 [44] | United States | Lateral Epicondylitis | 23 | 52.4 ± 7.2 | 39.1% | 6 CST treatments (single technique) over 3 weeks | 6 manual sham treatments (light touch) over 3 weeks | Post | - Pain intensity (NRS) | N.r. | N.r. |
- Functional disability (PSFS) |