NCT03584750

Floating for Chronic Pain

Floating for Chronic Pain (Float4Pain)

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 99 (actual)
• Sponsor: Hannover Medical School · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 75 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

In recent years there has been a novel approach for the treatment of chronic pain: Floatation REST (restricted environmental stimulation therapy). Floating is a therapeutic approach, in which patients float in a specialized pool or tank on water that contains high concentrations of Epsom salt (Magnesium sulfate). Water is kept at skin temperature (35-36°C) and the pool or tank is shielded to provide almost complete darkness and silence. This therapeutic approach has proven to be effective in alleviating chronic pain. Due to the difficulties associated with designing a credible placebo control there have been no randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with patients blinding so far. Such blinding, however, is crucial, to assess the true therapeutic effect of the intervention. The investigators will conduct the first patient blinded RCT of Floatation REST for chronic pain with a credible placebo control for floating and a no-treatment group.

Conditions

• Chronic Pain Syndrome

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Floating	Floating in specialized tank with full floatation and sensory deprivation.
OTHER	Placebo floating	Floating in specialized tank with reduced floatation and sensory deprivation.

Timeline

• Start date: 2018-06-26
• Primary completion: 2020-01-02
• Completion: 2020-06-18
• First posted: 2018-07-12
• Last updated: 2020-11-24

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Germany