Effectiveness of Tuina Therapy Combined With Yijinjing Exercise in the Treatment of Nonspecific Chronic Neck Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Both tuina therapy and yijinjing exercise were beneficial to patients with nonspecific chronic neck pain, but the evidence for this combination is limited. To investigate the effectiveness of tuina therapy combined with yijinjing exercise compared with tuina therapy alone for patients with nonspecific chronic neck pain. A 12-week, open-label, analyst-blinded randomized clinical trial (8-week intervention plus 4-week observational follow-up) was conducted from September 7, 2020, to October 25, 2021. A total of 102 participants with nonspecific chronic neck pain were recruited, and data were analyzed from December 10, 2021, to March 26, 2022. Participants in the tuina group or tuina combined with yijinjing group received 3 sessions of tuina therapy per week for 8 weeks, for a total of 24 sessions. Participants in the tuina combined with yijinjing group practiced yijinjing 3 times a week for 8 weeks, including an instructor-guided exercise at the hospital and 2 self-practice exercises at home. The primary outcome was change in visual analog scale (VAS) score from baseline to week 8. Secondary outcomes included Neck Disability Index scores, Self-rating Anxiety Scale scores, tissue hardness, and active range of motion. This randomized clinical trial recruited 102 patients (mean [SD] age, 36.5 [4.9] years; 69 [67.6%] female) who were randomized to 2 groups. All 102 patients (100%) completed all the outcome measurements. The mean difference in VAS scores from baseline at week 8 for the tuina combined with yijinjing group was -5.4 (95% CI, -5.8 to -5.1). At week 8, the difference in VAS score was -1.2 (95% CI, -1.6 to -0.8; P