Trial Outcomes for Massage: Caregiver-Assisted vs. Therapist-Treated

Participants randomized to the therapist-treated massage (TT-M) arm will receive a standardized Swedish massage protocol tailored to chronic neck pain. Massage sessions will involve a maximum of 60 minutes of hands-on, table time and occur twice a week (a frequency which balances practicality and efficacy) for 3 months.

CA-M consisted of in-person training for veteran/care-ally dyads to learn a standardized 30-minue massage routine, instructional DVD, and printed treatment manual. Participants were to complete three care ally-assisted massage sessions weekly for 12-weeks.